


The Vampire with the Green eyes

by ClairaTheArcticFox



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Blood Drinking, Eventual Smut, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-07-12 18:38:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 56,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16001012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClairaTheArcticFox/pseuds/ClairaTheArcticFox
Summary: Eren isn't your average vampire- all he wants is to go back to being human. An encounter with a government agency may give him a chance to do just that, but he'll have to prove himself first. Can he show Levi, the vampire hating soldier assigned to watch him that he's worth it, or will he succumb to his ever present bloodlust?





	1. Chapter 1

_Levi_

I approach the main entrance of a large brick building, two of my men close behind me. Darkness has fallen, but in the yellow glow of the street lamps I can still make out the large letters above the doorway.  _The Fritz Biology Center._  This is it.

"Is everyone in position?" I ask in a hushed voice. A chorus of yes sirs is relayed into my ear. "Alright. Petra, Gunther, you guard the exits. Oluo, Eld, you're with me. Stay sharp, all of you. We don't know what we're up against. A single mistake could get you killed."

I draw my gun and open the door. The three of us creep silently down the empty corridors, checking each classroom as we go.

"You know, I thought I was done with school," Oluo says from my right.

"Shut up, and keep your eyes peeled," I hiss. We continue on in silence. Soon the corridor splits, and I send the two of them to the left while I head forward on my own. I turn a corner and see light coming from the cracks around a door. Looks like I've found our hacker. I ease the door open.

There's a desk facing towards the window. A boy is sitting on a chair in front of it, facing away from me. I slip into the room and sneak towards him, one step, two, and then-

The floor lets out a loud creak under my boot. Shit. Before he can react I bolt forwards. I cross the room in an instant and slam him into the ground, chair crashing next to him. I pin him to the floor with my boot and point my gun into his face. He doesn't struggle, he just stares at me, his green eyes widening as he takes me in.

"You're Levi Ackerman!" he gasps.

I frown. I've never seen a vamp without red eyes. Is he human? If so, how the hell does he know who I am? I start to lower my gun, but then he opens his mouth to say something else, and I see his teeth. Two deadly white fangs, razor sharp. I lift my gun and bring it down hard on his head.  _"Filthy bloodsucker,"_  I say as his eyes roll back.

* * *

_Eren_

I'm standing outside a row of apartments, staring down one of the doors. I've already been here for at least ten minutes, too nervous to knock. If my heart could beat it would probably be pounding. Was this really the right decision? Should I just leave?

As I hesitate, a door opens a couple of apartments down. I tense. A woman walks out, wearing a short dress and clutching her purse tightly. She gives me a nervous glance as she hurries by. She disappears around the corner and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I can do this. I can handle being around people now. I steel my resolve, and knock.

"Just a sec," a tired voice calls from inside. A wonderfully familiar voice. The door opens to reveal a short boy with long blonde hair.

I give him a small smile. "Hi Armin."

For a moment he just stands there blinking. Then his eyes widen. "Erin? Where have you been? Everyone is so worried about you!"

I grimace. "Sorry."

He lets out an exasperated sigh. "Well, come in and we can talk." He steps to the side and holds the door open. "It's just me here. My roommate went home for the weekend."

I hesitate, looking at how close he's standing to the entrance. "I'd rather if you didn't get too close to me. It's not safe."

He looks puzzled, but takes a couple steps back. I relax a bit. This is why Armin is my best option. He takes what I say seriously.

We walk into a large room with a small kitchen on one side and seating over on the other. A cup of coffee, an open laptop, and several medical textbooks sit on a table near the kitchen. Armin lifts the cup off the table and takes a seat in one of the chairs. He points me to the couch across the room. "Are you all right over there?" I nod and sit down. He waits for me to speak.

"I uh, I don't know where to start," I tell him.

"Well, why don't you start with where you've been. I got a call from Mikasa almost a month ago saying you'd stopped answering your phone, and when we asked someone to check in on you you were just gone."

I look down. "Sorry. My phone's been dead."

He lifts his eyebrows. "For a  _month_?"

"Uh, yeah." I shift awkwardly. It was the truth. There were no chargers where I was.

"Where were you that you couldn't charge your phone for a month?" His voice doesn't hide his irritation.

I shrug. "Nowhere really. A forest."

Now he looks skeptical. "Ok, so you left your classes to what, go camping? For a month?"

"I needed to get far away from everyone else."

His eyebrows crease. "Right. You said it's not safe to be close to you?"

I nod. "Something happened to me- Well, someone did something to me actually. I'm a uh... uhh…" I trail off and rub my hand over my face. "This is ridiculous," I mumble.

"Why don't you just tell me what happened," Armin says. His tone is encouraging, but I can tell how worried he is.

I let out a long breath of air. "My dad showed up. He was rambling about the future of humanity or some shit. I thought he'd completely lost it. Then he gave some kind of weird injection. Then-" I pause, lifting my eyes to meet his. "I think he turned me into a vampire."

Now Armin looks really worried. "Eren, I thought you moved past the whole vampire thing years ago."

I snort. "Yeah, so did I. I'd finally convinced myself I really was seeing things. Only now… I don't have a pulse, Armin."

He blinks. "Of course you have a pulse."

"Yeah? You wanna check?" I hold out my arm.

He hesitates. "That's ok with you?"

I give a slight nod. This  _is_  the fastest way to get him to believe me. "Just try not to take too long."

Armin sets down his coffee and stands up. I stop breathing completely as he comes closer. If I can't smell him I'll be fine. I try to relax. I will not hurt anyone else.

When Armin reaches my side, he kneels and lifts up my hand. "Wow, that's cold," he says as he presses his fingers to my wrist. A moment later he adjusts his grip and frowns. Then he moves his fingers to my neck. His eyebrows crease. "Hold on," he says, standing up and walking to the next room.

He comes back with a stethoscope. I recognize it as the one me and Mikasa gave him when he left for college, three years ahead of everyone else. "Do you mind?" he asks. I shake my head. He presses the cold metal to my chest. He tries moving it around a bit. He presses it to his own chest, and then back to mine. He sits back and stares at me, wide eyed.

"So what's the diagnosis?" I ask wryly.

His voice wavers. "You don't have a heartbeat."

"Told you." I scowl. "And that's not the worst of it." I lift my upper lip, and his mouth drops open.

"Are those…"

"Yeah. I have fucking fangs. And a disgusting urge to drink human blood." Armin scoots backwards a bit. "I have it under control though," I add. "Otherwise I wouldn't have come. Although it's still easier if you keep your distance."

Armin moves back to the other side of the room and sinks down into his chair. He spends a while deep in thought and then he nods to himself and returns to our conversation. "So what are you going to do now?"

I shrug. "Well, for starters I figured I'd talk to my best friend who happens to be headed to med school. I was honestly kind of hoping I was having a mental break down."

"No, it's real alright." He stops suddenly, a pained expression crossing his face. "This means your mom really was killed by a vampire, doesn't it? I'm so sorry I didn't believe you."

I wave him off. "I probably wouldn't have believed me either."

He shakes his head. "Still, you're my best friend, I should have listened to you." I smile a bit at that, but I can't help wondering if he'd feel the same if he knew what I'd done.

"You said your dad did this to you?" Armin asks. "Your dad who's been gone for the past seven years?"

"Yeah."

"So where is he now?"

I snort. "He turned me into a _freaking vampire_. I took off the minute he turned his back on me."

He nods. "And have you met any other… vampires?"

"No. My dad mentioned that there were others, but if they're anything like him I want to keep my distance. That's why I came here. There's no one else."

"I'm glad you did. So you haven't talked to Mikasa yet?"

I shake my head. "She'd freak. I figured you were the only person who wouldn't."

He hides a smile. "I guess I better not let you down then." A familiar look of concentration crosses his features. "If vampires exist, I'd assume someone is studying them. If we find them, we may be able to get some answers. Maybe even find a way to turn you back."

I gape at him. "Something like that is possible?"

He shrugs. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, but it's worth looking, right?" I nod, a smile starting to appear at my lips despite his warning.

Armin grins. "I'll help you with some, uh, research starting tomorrow. For tonight, you can sleep on the couch."


	2. Chapter 2

_Eren_

_I'm standing in the living room of the home I grew up in, a note crumpled in my fist. "Meet me back at the house Tuesday night. -Dad." it reads. I assumed it was a prank, but I came anyway. Now I wish I hadn't._

_My father really is here. He's going on and on about something insane and brandishing a syringe full of crimson liquid._

_"They're just a bunch of cattle anyway," he continues. "Who cares what happens to them?" He takes a step towards me. "You're going to be part of a new age of humanity, Eren."_

_"I'm good thanks," I reply as I back away._

_I don't get far. He moves behind me in an instant, faster than any human. Before I can even react, he's already plunging the syringe into my arm._

_He steps away from me. "I've done my best to streamline the process, but this is going to hurt. Just remember that it's for the greater good."_

_I glare at him. "What the hell did you-" I stop short. Burning pain erupts from the spot where the needle pierced my skin. I cry out and cradle my arm to my chest. The pain starts to spread outward, eating away at me. Soon my entire arm is on fire. My legs give out and I fall to the floor. The pain keeps spreading, to my shoulder, my chest… Tears well in my eyes._

_"Sit tight. I'll be right back," I hear my father saying. His voice sounds distant._

_The pain is like acid running through my veins, spreading farther and farther with each beat of my heart. Pretty soon it's everywhere, burning me from the inside out. It goes on and on for what feels like hours, until suddenly there's silence. A sick sort of silence that leaves me feeling empty and alone. Fear takes hold of me as I realize what it is. My heart stopped._

_The pain fades, leaving me dazed and exhausted. A deep chill settles into my bones._

_I hear the door open again and manage to pull myself upright. My dad comes back in and in his arms he's carrying a body. Did he kill someone?_

_"Just about done, right?" he says. He walks over and dumps the body in front of me. A woman. He gives me a chilling smile. "Now for the good part."_

_I look closer at the woman, and my mind goes blank. I stare, transfixed, at the crimson trickle running down her neck. It soaks into a wet puddle on the rug. Hunger rises from somewhere deep inside me, growing stronger by the second. I take a breath and inhale the irresistible scent. My hand reaches out…_

_The woman stirs, and lets out a low moan. I pull back, horrified. What was I about to do? That's a living person. My stomach lurches._

_"Oh come on. Don't get all soft on me now," my father says. He gives me a shove. My hands fall forward to brace myself and land in the sticky wet mess. I stare at my blood covered hands. The smell of it is all around me now. The hunger grows stronger and stronger until every fiber of my being is trembling with need. I can't stop myself. I lift my fingers to my lips, and my eyes flutter closed as I savor the sweet taste. In another moment I'm licking off every last drop._

_Pain shoots through my gums, and I feel something forcing its way out. Blood wells in my mouth. I spit. Two bloodied teeth clatter to the ground. I only have a moment to be horrified before everything fades out. I'm left with one thought. One primal instinct. Feed._

_And so I feed._

_I yank her up by the hair. She lets out a shrill scream, and the predator in me loves the sound. I sink my fangs into her flesh. Her blood flows freely over my tongue. The taste is exquisite, intoxicating. I gulp it down greedily. Strength courses through my body._

_All too soon, the woman's heartbeat slows to a stop. The blood flow trails off. I tear myself away, disappointed but satisfied for now. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. Then it hits me. I stare at the crimson smear, and my hands start to shake. I killed someone. And I enjoyed it._

_For the first time, I look at the woman's face. She's about my age. She probably had friends, family. A future. And now she's dead, long hair matted with blood and vacant eyes staring at nothing. Lying only a couple feet from where my mother died._

_The voice of my father pulls me from my thoughts. "How'd you like your first meal?" he says, and he's smiling. Smiling._

_I grit my teeth. "You bastard."_

_"Oh, don't give me that. Everyone gets used to it." I look back at the woman's bloodied body and my stomach turns. Who could ever get used to this? Who would want to?_

_He claps me on the shoulder. "I'll clean up this mess, and then I'll take you to meet the others, how does that sound?" He turns and kneels beside the woman's body. He reaches a hand out to the dark red stain. "The carpet's already covered with blood, who's gonna notice a little more, right?" How could he say that about mom's death?_

_As soon as his eyes are off me I bolt out the door and into the street. My speed startles me, but I don't stop. I don't look back. Trees and houses fly past me in a blur. The smell of humans hangs thick in the air. It's already stirring my hunger. I run faster, and I don't stop until the scent disappears._

* * *

"Eren. Eren get up." Something soft and fluffy smacks me in the face. I pull the pillow away and glare at Armin, who just smirks.

"Sorry. I figured I shouldn't get too close, especially when you're half asleep."

He doesn't look sorry. But I'm glad he's keeping his distance. I'm hungry enough as it is. "Thanks," I grumble.

"We should get going soon," he tells me as I sit up. "Do you want to shower before we leave? Are you hungr-?" He stops, looking a bit nervous. "How have you been eating?"

I sigh. "You have nothing to worry about. I drink animal blood. I brought some with me, it's in my bag."

He relaxes. "Alright. I'll go get food for myself then. If you need to drink go ahead." He walks over to the kitchen.

I unzip my bag. Normally I can go a couple days without eating, but being around Armin is making it harder.

I pull out a full bottle and open it, wrinkling my nose when the smell hits me. I take a small sip and grimace. Animal blood tastes like dirt.

A couple minutes later Armin is back with a bowl of cereal. I start to take another drink, but hesitate when he looks over at me. "This doesn't this gross you out?" I ask. It certainly grosses  _me_  out.

He snorts and starts eating. "I'm planning on going to  _med_  school. I'd be in real trouble if a little blood bothered me." My lips twitch. I'm pretty sure watching someone drink blood is entirely different, but I'm glad it doesn't bother him.

"I just have one more thing to do before we can go," He says when he finishes his food. He gets out his laptop and sits back at the table.

I close my water bottle, frowning when I see how little is left. I put it back in my bag, next to the other empty one. I'll have to visit the slaughterhouse again soon. Anything I can do to make Armin's neck look a little less tempting.

Pretty soon we're ready to leave. The sun isn't very strong yet, but I still shudder when it hits my exposed skin.

Armin tosses me a baseball cap. I put it on and breathe out a contented sigh. He smiles. "Better?"

I nod. "How'd you know?"

He shrugs. "I saw the way you were eyeing the windows."

Armin is most definitely the best.

I follow him down the city streets for about ten minutes, and then we turn towards a large brick building. I give him a quizzical look when I see where he's taking me. "Does your school really have information about vampires?"

He rolls his eyes. "No. My school has computers."

"You were just on your computer."

"My school has  _better_  computers. And anonymity." He leads me through the corridors until we reach an office marked Hange Zoe. He pulls out a key. "This belongs to one of my professors. She only comes to school when she has a class or office hours though."

"And you have the key…?"

He shrugs. "One time when I was in there for a class I mentioned how great her computer was compared to my old laptop, and she just handed me the key." The lock clicks and he pushes the door open. On the back wall is a desk with two large computer screens, only partially obscured by a mountain of papers. Armin grins as he leads me into the room. "Pretty awesome, right?" he says, starting to clear off the surface.

I roll my eyes. "You're such a nerd."

He laughs and sits down in the swivelly chair in front of the desk. He presses the power button, and turns to face me as it boots up. "This is gonna take me a while," he warns.

"Is there anything I can help with?" I ask.

He smirks. "You're gonna have to leave this to me. You're lousy when it comes to computers, right?" I scowl at him.

While Armin starts to type, I look around the office. It's a mess. I mean, I'm not exactly a neat person, but this place is something else. There are books and haphazard stacks of paper on every surface. Brightly colored office supplies and bunch of those stress relief toys are scattered around randomly. And is that a bean bag chair? I walk over to it. I'd always kind of wanted one of these. "What kind of college teacher has a bean bag chair in her office?" I ask.

Armin stops typing for a moment. "The best kind." He smiles. "She's completely crazy though. One time she said she liked me because I, and this is a quote, 'dive into learning with the passion and grace of a dolphin.'"

I sink down into the bean bag chair. Armin had been kind enough to lend me a charger, so I pull out my phone and earbuds and, for the first time in way too long, let the relaxing sound of heavy metal wash over me. I end up dozing through most of the day while Armin works. I am nocturnal after all.

The next thing I know a book is hitting me in the face. I groan. "Was that really necessary?"

"What can I say, you sleep like the dead." Armin tries not to smile, and fails.

I roll my eyes. "Did you find anything?"

He shakes his head. "No. I told you it would take a while. I've got two more days before classes start up again, hopefully I'll find something by then. Good thing I did my homework friday afternoon."

* * *

That night I finish the last of my blood, and by the time we go to bed I'm relieved to have a door between us.

The next morning Armin goes back to his teacher's office and I head for the slaughterhouse. There aren't any near the city, so it'll be a long trip and difficult trip, but at this point I'd be hard pressed to catch something on my own. Most of the speed I had in the beginning has disappeared.

I approach the bus with a growing sense of dread. Being around this many people is insane. I make sure to look down as I walk and  _not_  at all of the necks surrounding me. I try not to breathe. To my relief, the bus is pretty empty and I'm able to sit several rows away from anyone else. I put on my earphones and close my eyes. I pretend I'm back in the forest and not surrounded by people.

The slaughterhouse is only a short walk from where the bus drops me off. A now familiar man comes out to great me and then brings me a bucket of blood. I've been here twice already, but the he still looks very uncomfortable as I awkwardly fill my two water bottles.

"What did you say you were using this for again?" he asks.

"I didn't." I screw on the caps. I really don't have a good answer as to why I've been purchasing two liters of blood every few days. "Thanks for the refill," I add.

Once out of sight of the building, I take a deep drink from one of the bottles. After witnessing me nearly choke last night, Armin told me I should try pig's blood. He said it was "the most similar to human and might taste a little better." So I'm trying it, and he was right. It  _is_  better, in taste and in effect. It makes the train ride back easier, and it  _certainly_  makes being around Armin easier. I can stop worrying about biting him if he gets too close and actually enjoy our time together. Maybe I can get used to this vampire thing.

But of course it's not that easy. It's the middle of the third day and Armin is trying to stabilize a particularly precarious stack of papers. "Shit, ow," he says as the stack collapses.

I don't have to ask what happened. I can smell it, the tiny cut on his finger. There's probably no more than a drop of blood, but it's enough. The hunger comes rushing back, and it's everything I can do to keep my fangs off of him.

Armin turns to me quickly, looking nervous. He gasps. "Eren, your eyes are red."

I get out of the room fast, yanking the door closed behind me. I slam my fist into the wall, cracking the plaster. A little blood wells at my knuckles, then heals just as fast. I curse. That bastard turned me into a fucking monster. I lean my head into the wall, trying to calm myself.

"Eren, you alright?" Armin calls cautiously from inside the room.

I breathe in and out, doing my best to clear the smell of blood from my nose. "I will be." I try to sound reassuring. "Just give me a bit to calm down."

I stay outside the door for about half an hour, but still, the minute I enter the room I go straight to my backpack. I gulp down the rest of my first bottle.

Armin watches me with a guarded look. "Sorry about that," he says. "I guess I'll have to be more careful."

"Accidents happen," I say darkly.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I think I'm onto something," Armin says. "It shouldn't be too much longer."

Between sleeping and my lack of knowledge I haven't paid much attention to what he was doing, but I look over at the screen now. What I see takes me completely by surprise. "Does that say top secret? Armin, are you hacking our government?"

He turns pink. "Maybe just a little?"

I gape at him. "How do you even know how to do that?"

His blush deepens. "Sometimes when I'm bored I just…" he shrugs.

"Hack the government?"

He nods. "They do a lot of interesting research, especially in the military. I figured they'd probably have something on vampires as well."

"Why is it top secret?"

He rolls his eyes. "Do you have any idea how bad it would be if the general public found out about the existence of vampires? Anyway, that's part of why I come here all the time. If I'm ever traced I don't want to lead them back to my apartment."

"Aren't there security cameras here?" I ask.

He blushes again. "Those I can hack from my room."

I shake my head. "Geez Armin. I don't know if I should be impressed or worried."

The smile he gives me holds a hint of pride. "Just go with impressed."

For the next half hour or so he continues to type. I'm almost asleep again when he stops. "Eren, this is it. I've got it." I'm on my feet instantly. "They're called the Survey Corps," he continues. "I'm not sure why though. They seem to be a top secret division of the military dedicated to the research and elimination of vampires."

I watch from behind him as Armin starts to open files. He clicks on one and a page opens with a bunch of names and numbers. Squad Levi, it says. Formed seven years ago. It's a list of active members all with their kill counts. Startlingly high kill counts. Armin's eyes go wide as he reads. "Eren, these guys mean business."

He clicks on one. Levi Ackerman, squad leader. A photograph of a man pops up. He looks maybe twenty six. He has dark hair, slightly parted down the middle and hanging down to shadowy grey eyes. His expression is one of boredom, but his eyes are dark and intense. A look that could kill. He looks like a total badass.

Armin pulls up another page. "Looks like they have capture records as well, starting six months ago. Nine of them so far."

He clicks around a bit more and frowns suddenly. "Why are their deployment records the only thing still locked? Everything else was… Oh no." He starts typing again.

"What is it?"

"Hang on, I need to get this open..." His fingers stop. His face pales. "I knew it."

"What?"

He looks over at me with wide eyes. "They're on their way here. They must have traced our location the moment I hacked them. I'm so sorry I didn't realize Eren."

His words sink in, and I realize what I need to do. "Don't worry about it," I say. "I'm going to stay here."

"You're gonna  _what_?"

"I'm going to turn myself over to them. They might be able to help me, right?"

He looks dumbstruck. "Sure, there's a chance. A very very small chance. You'd be insane to take that risk!"

"I'd be insane not to. You remember what happened earlier, right? I was about one drop of blood away from ripping your throat out. Unless something changes I  _will_  end up killing someone." I take a deep breath. "You said they're taking captives, right? So if I surrender I'll probably be fine."

Armin studies me carefully. "You're really sure about this? If they catch you there's no going back."

I swallow and nod. "I'm sure. You need to leave though. There's no reason for you to be in any more danger."

He nods. "Just don't get yourself killed, alright?" He stands and walks to the door, and with one last worried glance at me, he leaves. The door clicks shut behind him. I watch him exit the building out the window a moment later and then flop down on the chair. I spin around. Now I just have to wait.

I remember the picture, and those intense grey eyes. Would that guy kill me, too? The silence hangs thick around me and I continue to wait for a long while. And then I hear the floorboards squeak…


	3. Chapter 3

_Levi_

I glance up again from my phone and stare at the brown haired boy through the glass of one of our interrogation rooms. He's handcuffed to a chair, still out cold, and I'm getting really sick of waiting for him to wake up. It's been over two hours already. The kid- Eren according to his license- hasn't moved a muscle.

The drug we gave him usually lasts barely an hour. I shift in my seat. Maybe I should just kill him and be done with it? Sure, Erwin wouldn't be happy, but it's not like he'd fire me. Just as I start seriously considering it, the boy finally begins to stir.

I stand up and walk down the hall to the office marked  _Commander_. I knock loudly a couple times. "He's awake."

A moment later Erwin appears at the door. All 6'2" of him. A familiar feeling of irritation rolls over me. I'm short enough as it is without being stuck next to a freakin titan.

Erwin steps out and closes the door securely behind him. "About time." he says, running a hand over his face.

I lift an eyebrow. "Enjoying the extra paperwork?" He shoots me a dirty look.

We walk back to the interrogation room. The kid is fully awake now and looking around the room in obvious confusion. What was he expecting? A fucking tea party?

Erwin scans his ID and the lock flashes green. The boy looks towards the opening door, and his eyes fix on me. I give him a fierce glare. He just studies me curiously, unfazed. Kid's got guts, I'll give him that.

Erwin takes a seat across from him, and I lean against the far wall, placing them both in my field of vision. I keep my eyes trained on the boy- he may be well secured, but I don't take any chances when it comes to vampires.

Erwin clears his throat. "Eren Jaeger, correct?"

He furrows his eyebrows. "How do you know who I am?"

I sigh. Looks like he's a complete idiot.

Erwin smiles. "In this case your driver's license made it quite easy."

He shifts uncomfortably. "Oh."

"Thanks to that our research turned up quite a bit about you without much trouble. We know you're nineteen and in your first year of college. We know all about your mother and father, and of course the lovely Ackerman family who took you in." Erwin pauses, watching him tense at the mention of his father. "More importantly however, we know  _what_  you are."

The boy snorts. "What gave me away, the fangs or the lack of a heartbeat." I suppress a snicker. It seems this kid won't be easily intimidated. "So what are you going to do with me?" he asks.

"That really depends on you," Erwin says. "First of all I'd like you to tell me who hacked into our server."

The brat sits up a little straighter in his seat. "I did."

Erwin gives him a dubious look. "I checked your transcript. You got a C- in a coding class just last semester, it obviously wasn't you." He waits, and when the boy just keeps staring at him, "Tell me who really did it."

The kid slumps down and a defiant look settles on his face. "No."

Erwin sighs. "If you won't tell me, then so be it." He pauses and fixes him with a heavy stare. Eventually he drops his eyes.

Erwin smiles. "Armin Arlert," he starts. The boy freezes. "The two of you have lived in the same neighborhood all your life. He currently attends the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a major in biology and a minor in  _computer science_. And we picked you up in their main biology building. You understand where I'm going with this?"

The boy's eyes flash and he lunges forward. The handcuffs clang loudly against the chair, holding him back. "You stay away from him. He has nothing to do with this."

I click my tongue. "Watch it brat." His eyes flick to mine briefly. He stills but there's no sign of him calming down.

Erwin remains impassive. " _I_  was not the one who got him involved."

"He's not involved," the boy snaps back.

I snort. "Denying it won't change anything. If he's another vampire-"

" _Armin_  is human." He turns the full weight of his anger on me. Red flickers in his eyes. I tense, ready to act.

Erwin eyes the two of us and tries to steer the conversation forward. "I'm afraid we can't just take your word for it. Rest assured if it's as you say then we just need to talk to him."

He narrows his eyes. "Threaten him into keeping his mouth shut you mean?"

"I certainly hope it won't come to that. I would assume he's smart enough to understand why none of this can be made public."

The boy pauses, thinking it over. He seems to calm down a bit. When he doesn't say anything else Erwin continues. "I understand you put up no resistance when Levi apprehended you. Can you explain that for me?"

He grimaces. "It's not like I had a choice. If I stayed there I would have ended up killing someone."

I lift an eyebrow. "You're a vampire. Isn't that kind of your thing?"

He glares at me. "I didn't ask to be this way!" He takes a deep breath and lowers his voice. "I was actually hoping you might have a way of fixing me- turning me back into a human."

I blink. Well that's a new one. Even Erwin's eyebrows go up in surprise. "Is that so?" he asks.

The boy gives him a dry look. "I wasn't exactly planning on being your enemy. Although look where that got me." He moves his arms so the cuffs clatter against the metal of the chair.

"Hmm. I'm afraid you're going to have to put up with those for the time being. Even if you say you aren't our enemy, you're still dangerous."

His face twists. "I'm aware. That's why I want to change back before I hurt someone."

A well crafted look of sympathy plays out across Erwin's features. "Unfortunately that isn't something we can do, at least not given our current knowledge."

The boy's face falls for a moment, but he doesn't seem surprised. He looks Erwin right in the eye and sets his jaw. "In that case, I want to join you."

Before today, I'm not sure I've ever seen Erwin look surprised, but now his eyebrows go up for a second time. "Why would you want to be a part of what we do?"

A dark look crosses his face, and I see bloodlust shining in his eyes. "There's a vampire I want to kill. That's what you guys are good at, right? Killing vampires?"

Erwin is silent for a moment. He rubs his face. "Even if you joined us, there's no guarantee you'd ever see them."

"But at least there's a chance, and in the meantime it's not like the rest of them are any better. Vampires only exist to kill and feed."

"A funny thing to say about your own species," I say.

He lets out a hollow laugh. "How do you think I know? It's why this is the best place for me. If I lose control of myself here, you'll kill me."

I frown. "Shouldn't that bother you?"

"Not if the alternative is hurting someone. I can control myself for now, but…" A pained look crosses his face. "What if I can't keep it up forever? What if I hurt someone?"

Erwin sits back in his chair and moves his hands to his lap. "I admire your resolve at the very least." He's silent for a long while, deep in thought. I watch him warily. He's not seriously considering this is he?

"Erwin-" I start, but he cuts me off with a look.

He turns to Eren. "Alright then. We'll give you a chance. Won't lock you up just yet. I'll assign someone to watch you, and we'll see if you can be of any use to us. Bear in mind that if you do lose control, we really will kill you." He nods. "To start, I'd like you to help us with our research. There's a chance we may even find a cure for you given time." Erwin adds.

All hint of uncertainty leaves the boy's face. "Really?"

"It's not impossible," Erwin says. "So you'll agree?" He nods fervently.

I purse my lips. Not impossible is a far cry from likely, but Erwin has him right in the palm of his hand. Seven years and I still can't get used to the ease with which Erwin manipulates people. I almost feel bad for him. Almost.

Erwin stands. "Well, I suppose we're done here. If you would come with me there's someone I'd like you to meet. Levi?"

I detach the kid from the chair and refasten the handcuffs in front of him. He shoots me a dirty look as they click closed.

"You heard the man." I jerk him to his feet and give him a harder than necessary push towards the door, watching him stumble and barely catch himself. What does Erwin see in this brat?

We start to make our way through the facilities. Most of the doors and walls around us are made from thick glass, floor to ceiling. The boy looks looks into the rooms with wide eyes as we pass. "Where are we?"

"Underground," Erwin replies.

The boy pauses. "This huge place?"

I click my tongue. "Keep walking kid. You aren't here to go sightseeing." He glares at me and continues after Erwin.

Pretty soon we round the last corner and reach a solid wall with a large door made from reinforced steel. The contrast with the glass everywhere else makes it all the more intimidating. The sign above it reads  _Laboratory._

"We're here," Erwin says, stopping in front of it.

The boy hesitates. I roll my eyes and give him another shove. "Relax brat. We aren't going to hurt you. Now go make yourself useful."

Erwin looks at the kid. "You're on your own now. I have a lot to do thanks to you and your friend." He swipes his ID and then places his hand on the scanner. The light flicks green and the door slides open. He takes a deep breath and steps inside.

"You really think keeping him is a good idea? He's obviously dangerous," I say once the door bolts shut.

He nods. "Used to our advantage he could be a huge asset. For research purposes if nothing else. Besides, I won't be the one 'keeping him'." His smile grows more pronounced.

I eye him cautiously. "What's that supposed to mean?

"I'm assigning you to watch him."

I scowl. "I will not babysit that brat. Lock him up somewhere."

"He's a kid. We can't lock him up and expect to get much use out of him; then he'd be no different from the captives we've already got."

"Find someone else."

An innocent look appears on his face. "Well then… I could ask Petra. I'm sure she'll say yes."

I narrow my eyes. I wouldn't push this on her, and Erwin knows it. "Fine. I'll watch him," I say. "At least if it's me no one will end up dead."

He smiles. "Good. Once Hange's done with him you can take him back to your room. It's still got an extra bed, right?"

God, he can't be serious. "And if he bites me in my sleep?"

Erwin snorts. "Like that's possible."

I click my tongue. He's right, but that doesn't make me feel any better about sharing a room with a  _vampire._

"If you run into any problems, you know where I'll be." He turns and walks back towards his office. I lean against the wall to wait for my newly appointed charge. I really should have killed him when I had the chance.


	4. Chapter 4

_Eren_

I step into the laboratory and the heavy door slides shut with an echoing clang. I swallow. Even if they find a way to cure me, I'll be at the mercy of whoever's in here for a while. Who knows what they'll do to me. Do you have any legal rights when you're dead?

I look around the room and see someone in a white lab coat bent over a microscope. Her hair is drawn back into a messy ponytail and a thick pair of glasses rests on top of her head. She looks up and slips them back on.

A huge grin spreads over her face. "Are you the vampire? You are aren't you!" She rushes over to me, almost bouncing up and down in her excitement. Completely ignoring the handcuffs, she grabs my hand and shakes it vigorously. "You have cold hands!"

"Uh, yeah…?" Is this person really a researcher here?

"I'm Hange Zoe. Head of both the research and medical divisions." Ok that's a yes. And have I heard that name before?

"I'm Eren Jaeger. Nice to meet you." I force my face into a friendly smile. This person could very well be deciding my entire future after all.

"A proper introduction from a vampire, how wonderful! Come on in- I'm sure there's so much you can tell me. I can't wait!" She drags me across the lab.

She seems a bit eccentric, but at least it doesn't seem like she's about to strap me down and dissect me. I take a look around as we pass through the room. It's a fairly large space made up mostly of cluttered lab counters. Papers, files, and test tubes are lying out everywhere.

Hange leads me into a connecting office. She sits down at the desk and points me to a bean bag chair. A very familiar bean bag chair. I tense.

"Well, sit down," she says.

I slowly lower myself into the chair. "Do you, uh, teach at MIT?" I ask, trying to sound casual.

A smile spreads across her lips. "Of course. They  _did_  find you in my office, right? I assume Armin brought you there. That boy's such a genius. I hope Erwin won't be too harsh on him."

My eyebrows crease. "You're not mad at him for using your computer like that?"

She waves her hand. "Oh of course not. I gave him the keys to my office because I wanted to see where his passion would lead him. And how could I be mad when he found me such an incredible research subject!"

"About that…" I shift uncomfortably. "I'm actually here because I want to go back to being human."

She looks intrigued. "Well, I suppose it's possible. There's still so much we don't know." A gleam appears in her eyes. "But a willing test subject will make my work much faster."

I swallow. "If it means I can go back to being human, I'll do whatever you need me to."

She laughs. "Don't worry so much. I'm mostly interested in what you have to say. That's data I can't get from anyone else. Although I suppose if you're willing..." She gives me a hungry look and stands up. A shiver runs down my spine. "I'm going to examine you now, ok?"

"That's fine." I try to ignore how ominous she made that sound. I start to stand as well, but my legs wobble and almost give out. Hange catches me, a worried look on her face. "Are you alright?"

I nod. "Sorry. I've been feeling a little off since I woke up."

A frown creases her brow. "Has that ever happened before? Normally vampires are pretty resilient." I shake my head.

She walks me over to her chair and starts to look me over. "Hmmm… and the drug took longer than usual to wear off too. I wonder if it could be because of that."

I pull back. "What drug?"

She lights up and clasps her hands together. "Oh, just a little something I invented for my test subjects. It's perfectly safe. It keeps any vampire asleep for about an hour, and there are no lasting effects." She pauses and lowers her hands. "Or at least that's what's supposed to happen. Is it alright if I take a look at some of your blood?" I nod.

"Sorry about this. It's a bit hard to find a vein when you don't have a pulse. We have two options here. I can try to draw from your neck, or I can cut down a little bit to find one in your thigh. You'll heal right away, but it will hurt.

I cringe. "Neck please."

"Alright. You ready?" she asks.

I swallow and nod. I tilt my head back and to the side and Hange spends a moment feeling around under my jaw. She lifts the syringe.

It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It hurt a bit, but it was over quickly and Hange really seemed to know what she was doing.

She squirts some of the blood into a test tube and adds a couple drops of a blue liquid. She swirls it around and frowns as little bubbles form. "So you really are still feeling the affects of the drugs. Hmm..." She puts a couple more drops of blood on a slide and sticks it under a microscope.

A moment later she pulls her head back up. "No way!" She stares at me. I've never seen blood looking this bad. Never mind the drugs, you'll pass out from starvation!" She reaches over to a small fridge and before I have a chance to say anything, turns back with a bag of blood.

The hunger hits me hard and fast. I try to back up but the table is right behind me. My mouth starts to water. Shit. I can't lose control now. "Get that away from me."

She cocks her head. "What?"

I grit my teeth. "Look, I don't drink human blood."

"What do you mean? You're a vampire, so..." She holds it closer.

My breaths come faster. I can feel me control slipping. I let out a vicious snarl. She pulls back, eyes wide. "Get that  _thing_  out of my face," I tell her.

She blinks. "Right." She puts the bag back in the refrigerator. "Better?"

I take a couple deep breaths and then nod. "I only drink animal blood, so keep the human stuff away from me. Please." I take another breath. "And sorry I snarled at you."

She shrugs. "Don't worry about it. It wouldn't be the first time."

She perches back on a stool and faces me. "You'll certainly make an interesting research subject. It explains the effect the drugs are having too." She sighs. "We better see about getting you some more animal blood. You'll probably feel a bit unsteady until we do."

"I've got some in my backpack, if you have it."

She smiles. "Perfect." She gets up and scans her hand on the door, opening it just a crack. She leans her head out. "Levi dear, fetch Eren's backpack will you?"

"Do I look like a fucking errand boy?"

"Only a little bit." She hurries back into the room with a wicked grin.

She sits back down and a more serious look returns to her face. "So animal blood. How did that happen? Vampires tend to be rather..."

"Homicidal?"

She shrugs. "Not how I would have phrased it, but yes."

I fidget. I know I can't mention the dead girl. "When I first turned I was so freaked out that I ran into the middle of a forest. I didn't see any humans for the first couple of weeks, and after that it got easier." It's the truth, just not all of it.

"Fascinating. That's about how long a vampire can go without food, so maybe that's how long it took the blood to get out of your system? Maybe-"

Her speculation is cut short as the door opens. Levi strides in, holding my backpack at arm's length. "This thing is filthy."

I scowl as I stand up and take it. "It is not."

He wipes his hand on his pants and gives me a look. "Why did you need this thing anyway?"

Hange grins. "Listen to this Levi. Eren's got animal blood with him. It's all he drinks. Isn't that marvelous?"

He looks skeptical. "All he drinks, huh?"

I tense. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Hange moves between us. "Geez Levi, I don't need you to start an argument with the poor kid. Go wait outside." He gives her a sour look but complies. I return to my seat next to Hange once the door closes.

"Sorry. I know he can be a little standoffish," she says.

I snort. "That seems like an understatement."

"I'm sure it will be better once you get to know him." She pauses. "But I guess that's only if he can get over the vampire thing. He hates them quite a lot."

I grimace. "So do I."

I pull my second bottle out of my bag, and Hange watches me closely as I gulp the liquid down. I have to force myself to stop after half the bottle. I don't know when I'll be getting more.

"Now you come let me know if you still don't feel any better tomorrow, alright?"

I nod. "Why are you so nice to me?"

She shrugs. "Well first of all you know Armin, but also because you're unique. When a human is turned into a vampire, does the person they were before die? That's something I've always wondered, and now I might finally get an answer."

I take a moment to consider this. I've only ever thought about the physical changes. "I'm pretty sure I'm still me. Armin would have noticed if I wasn't," I say, but I can't stop a little bit of doubt from creeping into the back of my mind.

She nods. "For now I'll trust Armin's judgement. I won't be harsh with you unless you deserve it."

A small smile crosses my lips. "Thanks."

"Alright, now you should probably get going. I was only supposed to do a quick examination since it's so late. Also Levi's waiting for you. Try not to provoke him too much, alright?" She grins. "Best of luck!" She presses her hand to the scanner and the door opens.

Armin had been right. Hange was pretty cool.


	5. Chapter 5

_Eren_

When I exit the lab, Levi is leaned against the wall with his phone out, looking bored. I take a hesitant step forward and he looks up, his expression souring. "I was hoping she'd end up killing you on accident."

I grimace. "Was that really a concern?"

He shrugs. "More like a hope."

I glare at him. "The fuck is  _that_  supposed to mean."

He purses his lips. "Erwin should have locked you in a cage," he says. He tucks his phone back into his pocket and sets a brisk pace down the hallway. I'm not sure I disagree with him, so I just follow, jogging to catch up. He keeps a close watch on me out of the corner of his eye as we make our way down the halls.

It doesn't take long for the silence to grow uncomfortable and I start searching for something to say. "So, are we on a secret military base?"

He responds without slowing. "That's none of your concern."

The silence returns. I try again. "Do you have a rank?"

"What did I just say?"

"You're no fun," I mumble.

He stops and turns to face me, his eyes dark and threatening. "You do realize I could kill you at any time, right?"

I look away. I've never been good at keeping my mouth shut, and this is no exception. The only difference is now it might actually get me killed.

We turn down a hallway lined with solid doors and Levi stops in front of the farthest one. He turns to me. "My room stays clean, got it? If I find one speck of dirt, you'll be sleeping in a cell."

I grimace. " _Seriously?_ "

Levi's eyes flash. He pushes me and my back hits the wall. His hand slams next to my head. I flinch. He's so close I can hear the blood rushing in his veins. "Listen up brat. I am not Erwin. I see no use in keeping you around. If you give me any reason I will kill you without hesitation, so you'd better be on your best behavior. Lose the attitude."

I'm not really thinking as I respond. I'm too distracted by his smell all around me. "Like you're any better?" His eyes narrow, and for one blood chilling moment I think he really will kill me.

Then he sighs and steps back. "You really are a brat," he says, shaking his head. I shiver. Levi  _is_  badass. But he's also very scary.

He opens the door and flicks on the overhead light. The lemony aroma of cleaning supplies hits my nose as I follow him into the small room. Two tall beds stick out from one wall with hunter green bedspreads. A few shelves with neat rows of books cling to the walls, and one darkened doorway leads to a bathroom.

"It's kinda small, isn't it?"

"We're underground idiot."

He unlocks the handcuffs and jerks them off my wrists. I stretch my arms out in front of me and give an exaggerated sigh before I remember I'm supposed to be on good behavior. I take a nervous peek in his direction.

He rolls his eyes. "Just take your shoes off, brat."

I take them off and place them next to his on the mat, then he points me towards the closer of the two beds. As I walk over I notice there's not a single wrinkle on the bedspread. How on earth am I supposed to live up to those standards?

I set my backpack down in the middle of the bed and Levi winces. "That bag's going in the wash. Empty it out."

"I already told you, it's not-" This time I manage to stop myself. I take a breath and nod.

I unpack my things and he takes the bag and hands me a stack of clothes. "Now you're going to take a shower. You smell like blood and it's nasty."

I sniff my arm. "I do not. Besides, Armin would have told me."

Levi sighs. "He was probably being polite. Don't expect the same from me. Now get in there."

I haven't showered since I was human- I no longer need to. Now, all I can think as I step in is that showers are fucking magical, and I was seriously missing out. The water spreads a blissful heat across my skin and for the first time in almost a month, the chill leaves my body. For a while I just stand there and enjoy it.

Eventually, there's a knock on the door. "Hey brat, just how long are you planning to be in there? You're not the only one who needs a shower."

I wince. "Sorry, just a little longer."

When I'm done, Levi goes to shower. He comes out three minutes later, already wearing pajamas. I wonder exactly how often he showers to have gotten so fast.

He flips the main lights off and walks to his bed.

"You're not worried I'll attack you in your sleep?" I ask into the darkness.

"Why don't you try it? That way I can kill you and get this over with."

I smile and close my eyes. Despite his scent hanging thick in the room, I don't have to worry about hurting him- he can stop me.

* * *

_Levi_

I fucking hate cities, and Boston is no exception. It's cramped, there are too many people and it's  _dirty_. Unfortunately there are also a lot of vampires, so here I am, finishing my morning run along a dirty river. A truck speeds past me spitting thick exhaust into my face. I cough and swear.

I turn across the concrete overpass and head back towards our headquarters. In another ten minutes I reach the utility entrance below the parking garage.

When I get back to my room, the brat is still asleep. He's lying in almost exactly the same spot, only he turned over and now there are  _two_  spots of drool on the pillow. I wrinkle my nose. Disgusting. I'm going to kill Erwin. That is if I don't kill the brat first. What was with his attitude last night? Does he have no sense of self preservation?

His words about how we'd kill him if he lost control come back to me. I guess self preservation isn't really the issue here.

Once I've showered and changed and he still hasn't shown any signs of stirring, I walk over to his bed. "Eren." He doesn't move. "Eren." Nothing. Fuck this. I give him a swift kick and he crashes to the floor.

He startles awake, wide eyes darting around the room. When he sees me he drops his head and breathes out a long sigh. "What is wrong with you," he mumbles.

I pretend I didn't hear him. "Hange texted me saying she wants you in half an hour. Go wash the drool off your face and get ready." He nods.

Again, I have to knock to tell him it's almost time to leave.

Once he's out, he picks up the bottle of blood on his nightstand. I don't want to watch, but I also can't look away as he lifts the bottle to his lips. His throat moves up and down as he swallows. How anyone can drink that stuff is beyond me. After a couple more gulps, he stops and grimaces before steeling himself and going back for more. He sets the bottle down with a look of relief. I guess it's not very pleasant for him either.

After that, the two of us are ready to go. He gives me a sideways glance. "So you're not going to cuff me?" he asks.

I purse my lips. "I'm going to be keeping a close eye on you, and if you try to hurt anyone I'll kill you. At that point whether or not you're wearing handcuffs won't make a difference." The boy's face relaxes and he nods. I study the shift in his demeanor. "You're really that worried about attacking someone?"

I'm expecting a sarcastic comment, but instead he drops his eyes. "I just know I need to be more careful is all."

I raise an eyebrow. "How admirable." He glares at me.

When we reach the lab door, it opens to reveal Hange standing there with her usual unsettling grin. She tries to pull me into a hug but I dodge. She laughs. Then she does the same to Eren. He isn't as fast with the dodging and she catches him in a bone squeezing hug.

His eyes go wide and he freezes. "Not so close Hange."

She lets go and backs up, cocking her head to the side. "Oh sorry. Do I smell good?"

He looks down and shuffles his feet. "I'm a vampire, of course you do."

A thoughtful expression comes over her face. "Who smells better, me or Levi?"

My eyes narrow. "Hange I don't want to know…"

She cuts me off and takes a step towards Eren. "So? Which one?"

The boy meets my gaze and then quickly looks away. "…Levi."

Hange turns to me and grins. "Hear that?"

I pinch my nose. This is the worst. "Why the fuck would I care which one of us  _smells_  better."

She just laughs again and ushers us into her office. She turns her attention to the boy and her face softens. "How are you doing this morning Eren?"

He shrugs. "A lot better since I had something to drink." I wrinkle my nose. Gross.

Hange's grin returns. "Oh what a relief. That means I don't have to go easy on you!" She spins around in her chair and then snags a clipboard up off her desk. "Lets get started!" The boy nods. Hange settles down and pulls out a pen.

"First we have to go over your medical history." He looks a bit confused, but Hange dives right in. She starts off with a lot of familiar questions about allergies and medications before she finally moves on to something a little more relevant. "Alright, now I want to know about when you changed. Don't hold anything back, alright? It's all important." The boy grimaces, but nods.

"When were you changed into a vampire?"

"March 31st."

"Your birthday?

He nods. "Some birthday present, right?"

She gives a sympathetic smile. "How did it happen?"

His face hardens. "My dad showed up for the first time in seven years and forcefully gave me some sort of injection. I think it was blood, but that's just based off the color."

"An injection? What did it do?"

He grimaces. "Hurt like hell and stopped my heart. He told me it took ten minutes although it felt like a lot longer."

Hange looks thoughtful. "I've never heard of someone using an injection before. Normally one has to die after drinking a vampire's blood and then consume human blood. Supposedly the process takes hours." She looks back at him. "And after that you were a vampire?"

He shakes his head. "He- he did make me drink some blood. Then I transformed," he finishes.

"Is that it?" Hange asks. "Where did you get the blood?"

He opens his mouth, then closes it again. A couple emotions play across his face. Guilt, shame, regret, and then a deep sadness. The boy doesn't need to say anything more for me to know what happened. He killed someone. His dad probably forced him, but in the end it doesn't make a difference.

"I, uh…" he trails off, at a loss for words.

I sigh. "That's enough, Hange. He's told you what you need to know."

"But Levi-" she whines.

"Enough. How long do you intend to make me listen to this crap?"

She huffs. "Fine. I'll go get set up for the tests. Eren, you can take a break in the meantime." He nods, looking considerably relieved.

I follow Hange out and she goes right to shuffling through her materials. She doesn't ask me why I stopped her questions, so I walk back to the office. Through the glass, I see Eren already sound sound asleep on the bean bag chair. I stop. "Hange I know vampires are nocturnal, but isn't this a little much? He's out cold."

Hange comes over looking a bit worried. "I know. It's because the animal blood is really hard on his system. The drugs you gave him didn't act normally either. I'm planning on doing some tests to see how else it's affecting him." She stares at his sleeping figure through the glass. "That poor boy's been through so much, hasn't he. To retain his humanity is incredible."

I turn away. "That's a load of crap."

"Give him a chance. He's a good person."

"You've known the brat for all of twelve hours."

"Armin talks about him sometimes. Mostly complaining about him, but I can tell he admires him. And Armin isn't the type to fool himself into thinking someone is good when they're not."

"I'm sure he was just great- as a  _human_."

She purses her lips. "Levi you need to move on. It's not Eren's fault they're dead and you know it."

I bristle. "I don't want to fucking talk about that Hange."

She breathes an exasperated sigh. "You never want to talk about it Levi! You can't keep bottling everything up inside forever you know. You're gonna have to let it go eventually."

"Are you done?" The venom in my voice is a clear warning.

She throws her hands up. "Alright, fine. Don't blame me if you send yourself to an early grave. I'm ready for the tests, let's get Eren." She gives me one last look filled with disapproval and walks by me into the office.

She kneels down beside the sleeping boy. "Eren, can you wake up?" She says in what I assume is supposed to be a gentle voice. She shakes his shoulder.

His eyes flutter open. "Huh?"

A grin spreads over her face and she hops up. "Now, I can't wait to see how badly the animal blood is damaging your system."

The boy's face twists into a frown. "It's not like I can drink anything else anyway."

Hange waves him off. "That doesn't make it any less fascinating. Besides, if you want any chance of going back to being human, I'll have to know your system inside out."

I roll my eyes and huff. "It'll never happen and you both fucking know it."

The boy looks like he's been stung.

Hange eyes me. "Well, we can't know that for certain if we don't at least try." She turns back to the boy and brightens. "Now, on to the tests."

She checks his reflexes (he doesn't have any, apparently that's normal), his vision (20/20), his dark vision (better than human, but not up to vampire standards), and his hearing (slightly better than human but only over short distances).

She also does extensive testing on his reaction times which are slow by both vampire and human standards. She stops when she's done with the arduous process of checking his healing speed, which is normal.

She gives him a pat on the shoulder. "Alright, let's call it a day. Levi and I need to have lunch. I'm afraid your blood won't be in until late this afternoon, but I did put in an order. I hope pig's blood is ok?"

He hides a small smile. "That's perfect, thank you."

"Levi, you can pick it up in your mailbox anytime after seven. It'll need to be refrigerated in order to last, so I ordered you a mini fridge as well."

I grimace. "I don't want that shit in my room. Let him starve."

"Levi! You have to take care of him properly."

The boy scowls. "I'm not a dog, Hange, and I don't mind having to go elsewhere for food." His voice gets softer. "Besides, there's no need to force anyone else to watch me drink it."

I look at his miserable face and let out a sigh. "It's fine, we'll figure something out."

Hange grins "Perfect! Come back tomorrow then, ok? Bye!"

The boy nods and a smile returns to his face. "Alright. Bye."

Hange looks at me, waiting. I sigh. "Goodbye Hange." She grins and waves.


	6. Chapter 6

_Armin_

It's been a day since Eren was taken by the Survey Corps, and my fear is growing stronger by the hour. Fear that I will be next. Only a few people have access to Hange's office, and they're going to know it was me who hacked them.

When I get back from class, a tall man is waiting outside my door. He has blonde hair and hard blue eyes. The color drains from my face. This is what I've been dreading. I want to run, but I know that would only make it worse.

He takes a step forward, closing the distance between us, and I hear the clink of a gun under his coat. I stiffen.

He holds out his hand. "Erwin Smith."

I reach out slowly, and he takes my hand in a firm grip. "Armin Arlert." I hope he can't feel me shaking.

"I know." I swallow. I'm definitely in trouble. He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Would you like to take a walk with me? I know a good coffee shop nearby." I nod. I need to keep my cool. Who knows what he'll do if I refuse?

"Good." He walks past me in the direction I just came from. I turn and force my feet forward, following him.

The shop really is nearby, maybe a ten minute walk, which leaves me vaguely wondering why I've never seen it before. It's a quaint little shop with the words  _Maria Coffee_  written in fancy script above the awning.

Erwin leans towards me and I try my best not to shrink back. "We're in public, so choose your words carefully," I nod. "Find a seat." He goes to the counter.

The inside of the cafe is homey but spacious. I choose a small table in the back a fair distance from the other customers.

A moment later Erwin comes back carrying two steaming hot cups of coffee. He places one in down in front of me. "For you."

I ignore the delicious smell coming from the cup. He got my order just right. A vanilla caramel latte with two shots of espresso. Not something he could guess.

I take a deep breath and try to calm down. "Why are we here?"

"You mean as opposed to in an interrogation room?" I give a slight nod and he shrugs. "You're human."

"You can tell?"

"You didn't even flinch when we walked into direct sunlight, and you're drooling over the coffee now."

I blush and push the cup farther away. For a moment I see a hint of a real smile cross his face, then he folds his hands on the table and fixes me with a steady gaze. "Now, shall we get down to business? The information you've gotten ahold of is highly classified and, should it get out, we would have a serious problem on our hands."

I shake my head. "I would never-"

He holds up a hand. "However _,_  there is a solution. Become an official employee, and the entire mess goes away."

I gape at him. "Become  _what_?"

He smirks. "An employee. I want you to work for me. Part time, at least while you finish college."

"I'm not qualified to..."

"You hacked into our system, I'd say you're qualified." He gives me a knowing look. "I'd also say you have too much time on your hands."

I'm silent for a moment. "Can I say no?"

"I'll have to take measures to ensure you don't do any more illegal hacking, but yes. You'd remain as you are- just another student. Is that really what you want?"

I chew on my lip. "What's your point?"

"I can offer you something better. Something meaningful. I can give you a way to help humanity."

I draw my eyebrows together. "Won't it be dangerous?"

He touches his chin. "I want you for your computer skills, but I can't say it won't be. You'll be able to see your friend though. Even help him."

I gasp. "Eren's alright?"

"Yes."

The knot that's been coiling inside me for the past day finally loosens. Eren is fine. And I can help him. But I might have to deal with more vampires. I swallow. Even Eren had scared me when I'd gotten cut. How am I supposed to deal with more of them? I drop my eyes. "I can't."

"You refuse?"

I nod. Guilt settles in the pit of my stomach. I don't want to leave Eren alone, but I just can't do it. "I'm sorry."

He shrugs. "The offer still stands. If you change your mind, come here." He slides a piece of paper towards me. "I've told them to expect you."

Erwin stands up and gives me one last smile. "I'm glad we could talk. I hope to see you soon." He walks out of the shop. For a while I stare at the piece of paper. Then I breathe a long sigh and pick it up. I leave the coffee untouched.

* * *

As the afternoon wears on, I can't get his words out of my head. All my life Eren has been the one helping me, and Erwin was saying I could help him? Help all of humanity?

Erwin himself had also left quite an impression on me. The more I go over it in my mind, the more I realize he might be someone I could look up to. He handled the hacking problem beautifully. He probably could have just killed me, or kept me silent with the threat of violence. But he didn't. I get the sense he really  _does_  want to help humanity.

I run my hands through my hair. I need to think about this logically. First there are the cons: I might have to deal with vampires, and vampires can kill me. Those are the important ones anyway. Then the pros: I could help Eren, help humanity, I really would never be bored, I could work for Erwin, I could use my skills without ending up in jail… I stop, realizing just how long the list of pros would be. It was a good opportunity. And I know I would regret leaving Eren alone.

I glance at the clock. It's already nearly seven, but I know if I don't go now I'll lose the courage. I plug the address into my phone and follow the directions. The destination is a small church made of aging stone. Several beautiful dogwood trees line the path to the entrance, their petals tinted orange and by the setting sun.

I walk up to the old wooden door. Stained glass glints alongside the rows of pews inside. A woman comes over when I enter. She gives me a warm smile. "Armin, right?" I nod. "Follow me, I'll send you down."

She leads me to one of the doors in the back room. It opens onto an elevator. We go in, and she presses and holds the two floor buttons. A small panel opens with a screen and a scanner. She points to the screen. "Go ahead and follow the directions on there, alright?" She steps back out and the doors close.

The word  _scanning_  runs across the screen.  _One person detected. Please place hand on scanner._  I do as it says.  _Scanning… classification: human._

The elevator starts to move. After a swift descent, it comes to an abrupt halt and opens onto a long hallway. Glass walls go in either direction, but all the rooms are empty as far as I can tell. Just as I'm starting to wonder if I came to the wrong floor, Erwin appears around the corner. He doesn't look a bit surprised to see me.

"Armin. I'm glad you changed your mind."

"You knew I'd be here."

He smiles, and this time it's a real smile that shows his teeth. "I guessed. It was never a sure thing."

He leads me into one of the rooms, unlocking it with the swipe of a card. It's bare except for a large table. He takes a seat and I sit across from him. He slides a piece of paper over to me. A contract. "Let's start with this."

He leaves while I read it through, and comes back a couple minutes later with a cup of coffee. "It's not as good as the one from earlier, but you do look like a coffee drinker."

I scrawl my signature across the bottom of the last page and scowl at him. "You got my order exactly right earlier. You know full well I'm a coffee drinker."

His eyes sparkle. "Alright, I had a bit of help. You're done reading?" I nod. "Good. I'll work you hard so make sure you're prepared."

"Yes sir." I give him a bright smile.

"Perfect. You can start with a revamp of our security system." I blush, and take the coffee from him.


	7. Chapter 7

_Eren_

I follow Levi from the lab to the cafeteria. It's a large room, but only several dozen seats are filled. As soon as we walk in, everyone falls silent. I guess they all know who I am, or rather  _wha_ t I am.

Levi leads me to a table where four other people are already seated. They watch me warily, hands tight on their guns. I give them an awkward smile, which was maybe not the best idea because they all tense even more when they see my fangs.

Levi gestures to the people around the table. "Eren, this is squad Levi. Everyone else, meet Eren Jaeger." No one moves. Levi sighs. "He won't bite. He knows I'll kill him if he tries."

The one who recovers first is the girl with red hair. She holds her hand out. "I'm Petra. As long as you keep yourself under control, I'm sure we'll get along just fine." I nod and shake her hand. She gives me a cautious smile.

Next a blonde man with his hair pulled back into a ponytail reaches out and gives me a firm handshake. "I'm Eld, second in command after Levi. Petra said it well."

After that is the man with short black hair and an anxious look in his eye. He shakes my hand. "I'm Gunther."

The last, a man with brown hair, gives me a disgusted look. "You want me to shake hands with a vampire?"

Petra elbows him. "We decided we'd give him a chance, remember?"

He lets out a hmph and turns his eyes to me. "I'm Oluo. I've killed thirty nine vamps, and I'm more than ready to make it forty." Petra sighs.

Levi leaves me to sit down while he goes to get a tray of food. An awkward silence falls between us. A couple of the squad members continue eating. My mouth starts to water. Even if I can't eat normal food, watching them eat is making me hungry. I clench my jaw.

Finally, Gunther speaks. "How does a vampire end up working with us?"

My face clouds. "I don't want to kill innocent people."

Oluo snorts. "And we're supposed to just believe that?"

I glare at him. "Believe whatever you want, it's true."

He shakes his head. "I can't believe our captain has to spend all his time with a brat like you."

"It's an order from Erwin," Levi cuts in, back from getting his food. "And I think he is telling the truth. Whether or not he'll be able to control himself in the long run is a different story." I open my mouth for a sarcastic retort, but one look around the table and I think better of it.

Petra gives Oluo a pointed look. "Well, if Levi believes it, that's enough for me." I give her a grateful smile. After that the rest of lunch goes more smoothly.

* * *

When everyone is through eating, Levi and I drop by his room again so he can grab a change of clothes, then we all meet in the training area. It's a large room with thick mats on the floor and three of the walls. The fourth wall has a row of sturdy punching bags as well as some other training equipment. There are also a couple benches along the far side where people have left piles of their stuff. Levi wrinkles his nose when he sees it. "Why can't people just clean up their shit."

He takes me to a seating area separated from the rest of the room by a sturdy metal railing. He holds up a pair of handcuffs. "I'm going to put these back on while I'm busy, alright?" I nod and he cuffs one of my hands to the railing, leaving me just barely enough room to sit comfortably.

After I'm secured, he walks over to the rest of the squad. They're all exchanging their guns for fake ones out of a bin in the corner. Levi glances over at me and hesitates for a moment, but then sets down his gun as well.

The team splits up into pairs, and I watch Petra start to spar with Eld. She moves first, darting forward with a swift kick aimed at his side. He deflects the blow, grimacing, and counters with a sharp punch. Petra dodges the gracefully. It goes on like this for a while, the two of them hitting and dodging, until Petra loses her balance. Her eyes widen as Eld grabs her arm and flips her to the ground. He presses his gun to the base of her skull.

Levi steps forward and the two stand back up. He says something I can't hear, and then switches places with Eld. This time the match takes longer, but I get the sense Levi could end it at any time. He controls the flow completely with swift and deliberate blows that leave Petra struggling to keep up.

She lunges forward, but Levi knocks her feet out from under her. She falls, landing on the mat with a heavy thud _._  He presses his gun to her head the same way Eld had, and then steps back to help her up.

Practice continues like this- everyone sparring, and Levi moving between the two pairs. I keep my eyes on him as he takes down his teammates again and again. A couple of times someone gets a good hit in, but he's always ready with some move that overwhelms them and leaves them flat on the mat.

After about an hour, Levi calls for a break, and everyone goes to get water. My eyes follow Levi as he walks over to the benches and picks up his bottle. He's covered in sweat, shirt clinging to his body revealing well defined muscles. He brings the bottle to his lips and tilts back his head. A little drip of water escapes his mouth and trickles down the side of his chin. I swallow.

"Pretty impressive, right? His fighting I mean." I turn to where Petra is standing next to me. I rub my neck, a little guilty at having been caught staring. She laughs.

"How come he's the one teaching you guys?"

She shrugs. "He has the most experience killing vampires. It's difficult to do. No one else comes close to his success rate."

"What do you mean?"

Petra sighs. "There's only one way to kill a vampire, and that's to destroy their brain stem. We do it with a point blank shot from a fifty caliber gun."

I raise my eyebrows. "Isn't that overkill?"

She shakes her head. "Vampire physiology is different from human. To withstand the strain from increased strength, their bones are much stronger, and their weak point is extra protected. If it's not sufficiently destroyed they can just regenerate-"

"Like a fucking lizard," Levi finishes from behind me. I jump, and he rolls his eyes. "Vampires shouldn't be so easy to sneak up on." He looks at Petra. "We're continuing practice, come on." She nods and the two walk back over to the others.

* * *

When we get back to the room after practice, Levi takes a quick shower. Then it's time for dinner.

"You can go ahead and bring your blood with you this time," Levi says as we're getting ready to leave.

I grimace. "Was it that obvious?"

"You were staring at my neck even more than usual."

I turn my head away. "Sorry."

Levi just shakes his head.

To my relief, no one says anything as I finish the last of my bottle at the table, although Oluo does shoot me a couple disgusted looks.

We finish eating, and Levi stands up. "I suppose we should go pick up your blood delivery now. And the stupid mini fridge."

We start down the long halls. As we're walking, a door opens ahead of us. A small figure with blonde hair comes out. Armin. My eyes widen, horrified. Why was he in a place like this?

I grab Levi by the front of his shirt. "What the hell is Armin doing here?"

He wrinkles his nose and places his hand on top of mine. In less than a second I'm on the ground with his boot on my back and his gun pressed into my skull. "I have no idea what he's doing here, I've been too busy with you, idiot. Next time you touch me, you die. Got it?"

A shiver runs down my spine under his glare, and I'm reminded just how easily he could kill me. "Got it."

Armin runs over when he sees what's happening. He glares at Levi. "What are you doing to him?!"

Erwin steps through the doorway after Armin. He raises his eyebrows when he sees our current positions. "Everything alright?"

Levi clicks his tongue. "Everything's fine." He takes a step back. I decide not to stand. I'd just land myself back on the floor, possibly with a bullet in me.

I glare at Erwin. "What is Armin doing here."

"I gave him a job," he says, like it isn't a big deal.

My stomach turns. "Why the fuck would you get him involved in this?"

"Like I said before, I didn't-"

"That is not my point!"

Armin turns to Erwin. "Do you mind if I talk to Eren alone for a bit?"

He presses his lips together. "Levi has to accompany you."

Armin narrows his eyes at Levi, then looks back at Erwin's firm expression and nods.

The three of us enter the room he and Erwin just came out of.

I turn to my friend, doing my best to reign in my anger. Shouldn't he know better than this? "What are you  _doing_  here, Armin?"

He looks at me calmly. "I'm going to work here."

I take a deep breath. "You could end up dead."

He sighs. "I'm just going to be dealing with computers, I'll be fine."

"This is a bad idea."

He frowns. "It's my choice to make. Besides, I couldn't just leave you here alone."

I tense. "You can't do something like this for me."

He fixes me with a steady gaze. "I'm not. I'm doing it for myself."

I look at him, then run my hand over my face and sigh. Once he's made his decision, he'll stick with it. There's nothing I can do. "You're crazy," I tell him.

He laughs softly. "How about you, are you doing alright here?"

"Yeah. They're treating me surprisingly well. The head of research is actually pretty nice…" I stop. A smile covers my face. "You're never going to guess who the head of research is." I look at Levi. "She's here, right?"

He rolls his eyes. "I can't believe you actually  _want_  to see her. Wasn't she cutting into your skin just a couple hours ago?" Armin's eyes widen.

I laugh awkwardly. "It's, uh, not as bad as it sounds, I promise. She just wanted to see how fast I heal." Armin looks skeptical. I sigh. "Let's just go see her, alright?"

* * *

When we walk into the lab we hear a loud squeal. Hange comes barrelling out of her office, arms outstretched. "Arrrmiiiiiin!"

His eyes widen. "Professor Hange?"

She throws her arms around him. "You took the job I'm sooo happy!"

For a moment he just stands there, shocked, but as she squeezes him his expression turns to one of good humored irritation. "Alright, you can let go of me now."

Hange takes a step back and clasps her arms to her chest. "I'm so glad you're here! Promise me you won't spend all your time on the computers, alright?"

He raises his eyebrows. "If you promise not to cut Eren anymore."

She tilts her head. "Hmm? But he heals right away."

Armin drops his head to his hand. "That is so not the point."

She thinks for a moment. "Alright then. I won't cut Eren while you're here."

He gives me a worried look and I just shrug. I really  _do_  heal right away.

Then he turns back to Hange and his eyebrows crease. "Were you the one who suggested I be hired?"

"Nope, that was all Erwin's idea. I just told him your coffee order. Now come on," Hange beckons for him to follow her. "I have so much to show you. You'll  _love_  the research I've been doing on vampires." Armin perks up, and with one last glance back at me, follows her.

Levi takes a step forward. "Alright. Let's leave the two crazy people here and go get your blood before it goes bad."

I bristle. "Armin's not crazy."

He raises one eyebrow. "Anyone who's friends with a vampire is crazy in my book. Let's go." I grit my teeth and follow him. Lashing out would only prove his point.

Armin and Hange don't even notice us leaving.


	8. Chapter 8

Armin

It's a Monday afternoon, and I've been at the Survey Corps for a couple weeks now. I'm working in the central command room with Moses, when all the lights suddenly shut off. The computer screens cast an eerie blue glow on the two of us.

"That's weird," Moses says. He presses a button on the control panel. "Hannes, did we blow a fuse or something? The lights aren't working." The line is silent. "Hannes?" Nothing but static. More buttons click as he tries the other lines. They're all dead.

"What's going on?" I ask.

He frowns. "I'm not sure. If the computers are working than the communications should too-" An error message flashes across all the screens. So much for that.

We hear the door open behind us, and we turn. A tall man stands in the entrance. His mouth and chin are stained with something dark. I can't see the color, but I know what it is. Blood. My heart speeds up. An ugly grin stretches across the vampire's face when he sees us.

Moses draws his gun. "How did you get in?"

His face darkens. "I've been locked in here for months, rotting in a cage."

Moses's eyes widen. "What about the guards?"

The smile returns to his face. "Torn apart on the floor. All of us were half starved. And angry."

Moses fires his gun, but the vampire moves too fast. He grabs him by the arm and yanks him up out of the chair, latching onto his neck. Moses cries out, and his gun clatters to the floor.

I jerk back, falling from my chair and hitting the floor hard. I lie still, trembling and barely able to breathe. All I can hear are the slurps from the vampire drinking. Every part of me screams to run but I know I would never make it. I have to do something.

I look around. The gun is lying a couple feet away from me. I inch my way towards it, stretching out my arm. I grab the handle and start to pull it towards me. It squeaks across the floor. I freeze.

The vampire looks up, fresh blood dripping down his chin. He laughs when he sees the gun. He drops Moses and stands up, looming over me. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I lift the heavy gun and try to hold it steady, swallowing the lump in my throat. If I don't do this, I'll die. He's a vampire. I squeeze my eyes shut and pull the trigger.

The bullet just grazes his cheek. For a moment he looks shocked, then his expression twists with rage. "You little bitch."

He lunges, grabbing me by the hair and yanking me to me towards him. He opens his mouth. Terror floods through my body. I stare at the sharp fangs coming towards my neck. My life is about to end.

Bang!

The grip on my hair disappears and I fall back to the ground. The vampire crumples in front of me, a bloody hole gaping in his head. Moses is sitting against the wall, one hand clenched to his neck and the other holding a second gun.

I crawl over to him. "Are you alright?"

His voice comes out tense and urgent. "There's no time for that. Help me up."

I do as he says. My wobbly legs are barely able to support the two of us, but somehow I manage to bring him over to the control panel. He slides open a hatch, revealing a large button. He presses it and a heavy clang echoes through the building. All the doors to the room slam closed and heavy bolts slide into place.

I help him back into a sitting position on the floor. His breathes are coming in shallow gasps now. He looks at me with glassy eyes. "Emergency lockdown. No one goes in or out. Not until they're all dead."

My eyes widen. "But you need a hospital!"

He winces. "The procedure is absolute. Besides, look at me. I've got a hole in my carotid artery." He gives a hollow laugh that turns into a cough. More blood sprays through his fingers on his neck. "I'm going to die."

"You can't… " I trail off.

Moses's eyes go vacant and his hand falls from his neck. A sob escapes me, followed by another, and another. He's is dead. I could have died just as easily. I might still. What did I get myself into? I knew it could be dangerous, but this… I back at his lifeless body. This is too much. I should have listed to Eren, he warned me.

I stop. Eren. Is he ok? I take a deep breath. I can't just let myself fall apart. I might be the only one who can figure out what happened. I wipe the tears from my eyes. Someone had to have taken control of our electrical systems, that much I can tell. But I just redid our security system and the doors to the cells should have a failsafe. It would take a lot to get them open.

I stand up. I won't get answers just sitting here. I pull my laptop out of my bag, thankful I came straight here after class. I'll figure this out. That's something I can do.

Levi

I bend over my desk, doing my annoying as fuck paperwork while the brat snores behind me. I don't know why he snores when he doesn't even need to breath, but he does, and it's fucking annoying. I stand up to go plug his nose until he stops when the room is plunged into darkness.

The only light remaining is a small green dot by the lock. I walk over to it and push on the door. It swings right open. The hallway is dark as well, except for the safety lights along the floor. I pick up my earpiece and switch it on. Nothing but static.

I walk back to the bed and send a kick towards the source of the snoring.

"I'm sleeping. Go away," comes a muffled voice.

"Get your ass out of bed. Something's wrong."

The boy shifts slightly and groans. "What?"

"All the lights shut off. Communication is down too."

"You know there's this thing called a power outage?"

I sigh. "We don't get power outages. We have a backup generator. And a backup backup generator."

"What happened then?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm saying get the fuck up so we can go find out." I hear his feet land on the floor and he comes to stand next to me. I hesitate for a moment and then make a decision. "Drink some blood before we go."

"Why?"

"Just do it." He goes to the fridge, and I hear the sound of gulping. Then he follows me into the eerily silent corridor. I draw my gun, just in case. "Let's head for the central command room. They should know what's going on."

The boy doesn't move.

"What is it?"

"I smell blood." He takes a step back. "I smell blood, Levi. A lot of it. I can't do this, I can't-"

I grab his arm. "Get ahold of yourself brat. Remember that little friend of yours is in here somewhere, and we don't know what's going on. He might be in danger." The boy still doesn't move. I swear. "Do you need to stay here?"

He pauses for a moment longer, and then swallows. "No, you're right. Armin's here and I can't just leave him."

I walk down the hall and this time he follows me. Up ahead, I see some of the lights along the ground are blocked. Behind me, the boy tenses even further. I feel his hand close on the back of my shirt and I guess he's closed his eyes. I almost shove him away, but think better of it.

In a couple more steps I can make out a body on the ground. There's a thick pool of blood coming from his neck. I carefully lead him around it. Once we're well passed the body I push him off me.

"What happened?" he asks.

I press my lips together. "A vampire."

He tenses. "Why is there a vampire in here?"

"I don't know. It probably escaped from our cells, and if so there are going to be more. We're in a lot of trouble."

"How do you know?"

"The guards would have been able to take care of it if it was only one or two. Even worse than that though, In the dark we're at a serious disadvantage. The glass is supposed to make it easier to fight with a gun, but all it does now is make us vulnerable." I hesitate for a moment. "You can still see right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to have to rely on your vision then. Keep your eyes open." He nods and we walk on.

After a moment, he tugs on my shirt again, his voice dropping to a whisper. "There. Someone's coming down the hall around the corner. I smell blood on them."

"Have they spotted us?" He shakes his head. "Alright, you go distract them, and I'll shoot them in the back."

"I thought Petra said it took a point blank shot to kill a vampire."

I sigh. "Yes, but he's not going to be doing much moving around with his spinal cord severed now is he? It takes a couple minutes at least to heal that kind of injury."

He hesitates. "What if you hit me on accident?"

I shrug. "You'll heal."

I hear him draw in a long breath. "Fine." He walks down the hall and stops when he reaches the corner.

"You another escapee?" comes a gravelly voice from the darkness.

Eren straightens up. "Yeah. It's a relief to get out of that cell." He takes a couple steps to the side, leading the vampire with him. I can faintly see him standing at the corner now, but I don't have a clear shot.

He laughs. "Don't I know it. That computer virus did a damn good job. It's a real party in here. I've killed three people so far."

Eren takes a couple more steps as he talks and the other vampire moves with him. "Oh, uh, congratulations. I'm actually working on my first kill right now."

I let out three shots and the vampire falls to the ground. I walk forward and point the gun at the base of his skull.

Eren grins. "See? That's number one." I pull the trigger. Blood sprays over both of us as the vampire dies. I grimace. Eren wipes it off his face with his hands and turns to face me. "We did it!"

I grit my teeth. "It isn't over yet."

He turns and continues down the hall. I follow him now, and in a couple more minutes, we reach the door to central command. This one doesn't open. That means we went into lockdown properly at least. And the people inside should be safe. I knock on the door.

The loudspeaker above us crackles to life. "Eren, you made it!" comes a relieved voice- Armin's.

I clear my throat. "May I speak with Moses?"

There's silence for a moment. "…He's dead. A vampire killed him."

My heart sinks. "You're the only one in there?"

"Yes."

"Can you at least give us some idea of what the situation is?"

Armin pauses for a moment. "It seems like some sort of computer virus. It took out our power and unlocked all the doors- including the ones to the vampires' cells. I've been trying to get our systems back under control. So far I've only got the cameras and this speaker working. Whoever did this knew what they were doing."

I grimace. "Weren't you the one who redid our security system?"

"Yes, and nothing broke through. Whoever did this was inside the base." His voice falls quiet. "I wasn't sure what to do. Then I saw you and Eren headed this way."

I let out a sigh. "What about the rest of the vampires?"

"A couple have been killed off. The rest of squad Levi is in a shootout with three of them. The other nine are in a group outside the cafeteria. It looks like they're…" His voice cracks. "They're killing squad Marlene. If we don't do something now they'll kill the people in the kitchen too."

"In case you didn't notice, we're a little low on manpower."

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure if it's a good one. Eren, it would ask a lot of you. You'll probably need to be around more blood."

I look over at the boy, who swallows. His voice comes out quiet but determined. "I'll do what I have to."


	9. Chapter 9

_Eren_

I walk down the hall towards the vampires, my hunger growing stronger with every step. When I reach the room, I stop and look inside. Five bodies lie on the ground; one vampire, and four humans that have been sucked dry. I don't know any of them personally, but I've seen them in the cafeteria. I grit my teeth, anger quickly swelling.

Six of the vampires are leaning against the walls while the other three are latched onto the last soldier. He's letting out small whimpers, which just serve to rile up my baser instincts, telling me to sink my fangs into his flesh alongside them. A couple drops of blood drip down his neck and I can feel my control slipping.

I clench my jaw, digging my fangs into my gums. I have to think about something else,  _anything_  else. I promised Armin and Levi I would do this. I can't let them down, and not just because it'll earn me a death sentence. I owe them both. I take deep breaths through my mouth. I can't let Levi down.

Somehow, I pull myself together and walk through the door still in control. I look around the room and grin, showing off my fangs. "I knew there were more of us around here somewhere."

Two vampires step forward. They're both tall, one with slicked back dark hair, and the other with blond hair and blue eyes. They're both on guard.

"You weren't in the cells," says the one with dark hair.

I shake my head. "I've been locked up in that lab."

He shudders. "That must have been awful. I hope you gave that crazy bitch what was coming to her."

"Oh I did. She tasted delicious." I lift my hand, still covered in blood from the vampire Levi killed, and slip one finger into my mouth. It tastes like ash, but I do my best to put a blissful expression on my face, hoping they don't realize the blood isn't human.

"Glad to hear it. She was a real demon."

I nod and then smile. "I got some good information out of her too. We still have a chance to escape."

He raises an eyebrow. "This place is on lockdown. There's nothing left we can do but kill everyone in here."

I shake my head. "There's a secret exit."

"Seems sloppy for a place like this," he says, narrowing his eyes.

I shrug. "I think it's worth checking out. I'm not going to die down here if I can avoid it."

He nods. "I suppose you're right. My name's Bentley, but you can call me Bean. That's Sonny over there." He gestures to the blonde one standing beside him.

I snicker. "What kind of name is Bean?"

His eyes narrow. "Just what are you trying to say?" I take a deep breath, cursing internally. That won't help them trust me.

"Nothing, sorry." I try to put on a friendly smile. "I'm Eren."

The vampire cocks his head to the side, a slow grin crossing his face. "You don't mean Eren Jeager do you? Grisha's son?"

My eyes go wide. "You know my dad?"

He laughs. "Who doesn't? Poor sap's been searching everywhere for you." He shakes his head. "What kind of vampire gets all sentimental anyway?"

One of the others shoots him a dirty look. "Don't talk about him like that. You know how much we owe him."

The dark haired one scoffs. "Not anymore we don't." He turns to me with a predatory gleam in his eye. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

My mind reels. Did my dad have something to do with the escape? I take a deep breath to compose myself. I can worry about all of that later. Right now I have a job to do. I beckon. "The exit's back this way."

One by one, the vampires all follow me out of the room.

The blond one sniffs the air as he walks next to me. He gives me a suspicious look. "You don't smell right."

I tense, searching for a believable answer. "Oh, uh, that woman was messing with me every day for weeks, it must be because of that." The dark haired one looks a bit skeptical but doesn't say anything.

I lead them up to a room with a heavy metal door. It's an old holding cell, converted into a storage room when the newer ones were built. I push the door open. "It's in here."

I stand just inside the doorway, nerves mounting as they pass me. As soon as the last one is inside, I duck out of the room and slam the door shut. I wait for the lock to turn red, but it never does.

* * *

_Levi_

I watch Eren head towards the vampires with a tightness in my chest. We're screwed if he messes this up. He better not get himself killed.

I look up at the speaker above the door. "What are we supposed to do once Eren traps them?"

"Don't worry about it." Armin says. "I already have it covered. Just go."

I hurry down the halls to a small room that used to be an office. "What am I looking for?"

My earpiece crackles. Armin got it working before I left, but the connection is still fuzzy. "There should be something plugged into the computer."

I scan the backside of the computer and see a little box with blinking lights. They go off when I disconnect it. I hold it up to the security camera. "This thing?"

"Yeah, that's it. Now we just need to restart the grid, and my antivirus program should be able to handle whatever's left. And hurry, Eren's almost there."

I curse. "Alright, just make sure my path is clear."

"Ummm… I don't see any between here and there, but the cameras in the room itself aren't working."

"Alright, I'll be careful then." I take of at a run down the hallway, slowing only when I reach the staircase down. Yellow light spills from the open door, so at least the emergency light is working. I draw my gun and start down the stairs.

I step into the room and swear internally. Two bodies lie on the ground, a vampire drinking from one of them. It's too busy to notice me, so I line up my first shot.

Something crashes into me from the side, knocking the gun from my hands. A second vampire? I crash into the concrete wall, pain shooting through my arm. Blood slowly soaks through my right sleeve.

The other vampire looks up, his red eyes coming to rest on the bloodstain. "Perfect timing, I was just finishing up with this one."

"He's mine," growls the other.

"Not if I get him first." They both rush at me.

Armin speaks in my ear again. "Levi, Eren's already there! You have to do it now!" I look between the two vampires and the electrical box behind them. Shit.

* * *

_Eren_

The lock doesn't turn red. My eyes widen and I take a step back. The system still isn't back online?

The door of the room slides open. Bean stands there looking furious. I turn to run, but he's on me in an instant. He grabs me and pulls me back into the room, throwing me down next to the door. My head cracks against the wall.

Bean glares at me. "Trying to trap us? Too bad the locks are all out of commission." His fist collides with my jaw, making my head spin.

One of the other vampires grabs his hand. "He's Grisha's son, remember?"

Bean snarls and rips away form him. "Who cares? He's covered in  _vampire_  blood."

The vampire takes a closer look at me, then steps back. "Don't be too rough on him. He's still one of us."

I glare at them. "I am  _not_  one of you."

Bean sneers. "You're a vampire, of course you are. You can't change your nature."

"At least I'm trying," I spit.

He takes a couple steps over to me. "And look where that's gotten you." He brings his foot down on my thigh, snapping the bone in two.

A burst of agonizing pain shoots through my leg, and then the bones start trying to realign themselves. They scrape and grind against each other and the pain gets even worse. Blood drips down my chin as I bite my lip, trying to stay quiet.

Just before I can heal completely he brings his foot down again. The bone shatters into pieces that shift around inside my leg like blades. This time I can't hold back the cries that leave my lips. A couple of the vampires snicker.

I grit my teeth and glare around the room. I have to do something. I can't just let them win. Bean's fist comes towards me again.

All of a sudden the lights flicker back on. He pauses, blinded for a moment, and I see my chance. I dart to the side and slam my hand on the button to close the door. Then I make a break for the opening. I almost make it.

Hands grab me and pull me back into the room as the door clangs shut. Two vampires grab me from either side and force me to my knees. I struggle and try to pull away, but their grips are like iron. Every vampire in the room glares at me with a savage hatred. Bean steps towards me. His face twisted in an ugly scowl. "I'm going to kill you."

I smirk. "Go ahead, I've already won. You're all going back in those cages- for good this time." I look around at the couple vampires trying to get the door open. "There's no way you're getting out." Bean's hand reaches towards me. I knew I was going to die sooner or later. At least I got a chance to help Armin and Levi before I did.

He grabs my head and starts twisting and pulling. Pain shoots through my neck and my vision starts to go spotty. Just when I think he's going to rip it clean off, he stops and his grip loosens. I manage to push him away, and fall to the floor, gasping.

Then I notice the strange smell filling the room. My eyelids start to feel heavy. Bean is slowly losing his balance and, along with the rest of the vampires, he collapses in front of me. My limbs start to go numb.

Bean glares at me. "I guess the humans came to your rescue. Go on back to them, see how long you can go before you rip their throats out." The last thing I see is his scowling face, before everything goes dark.

* * *

_Levi_

I stare down at the lifeless bodies of the two vampires, wiping blood off my hands with a handkerchief. Neither of them were particularly skilled. Killing them only took a couple minutes.

"How did things go with Hange?" I ask Armin.

"It was a success, they're all out cold."

"And Eren?"

The line is silent for a moment. "...He was still inside the room."

I freeze. "I thought you said the drug could kill him."

"I know! It's impossible to control the dose of something aerosolized like that." His voice breaks. "But if we did nothing, he would've died anyway."

I shove my handkerchief back into my pocket and grit my teeth. Eren can't die on me. "Let Hange know I'm bringing him to the medical room."

I run back down the halls to the old cell where Eren is, pausing briefly outside the door. "Are you sure they're all knocked out?"

"As sure as I can be."

I draw my gun and slide my keycard in the lock. The door swings open to reveal the vampires, all sprawled out on the floor. I look around for Eren. He's lying completely still. I kneel down and put my hand to his chest. He's not breathing, but that doesn't tell me anything.

My heart beats faster as I realize he could be dead and I would have no way of knowing. I put away my gun, and scoop him up, ignoring the strain in my arm. Eren is damn heavy, and I'm breathless by the time I reach the medical room. Hange hurries over and leads me to one of the beds. I lay him down, and she starts to look him over.

"How is he?" I ask.

Her eyebrows crease with worry. "He's alive, but we won't know much more until he wakes up." I walk over to the seating area and sink down into one of the chairs. This wouldn't have happened if I was faster. This is my fault.


	10. Chapter 10

_Eren_

My eyes open. I'm in a white room with a couple other beds. Is this the medical room? What am I doing here?

My eyes widen as I remember the vampires. I start to stand, but my head spins and my limbs won't work right. I lose my balance and barely catch myself on the edge of the bed.

I'm sitting still, trying to pull myself together, when Levi pokes his head into the room. He comes over to the bed when he sees me up. "We weren't sure you were going to wake up."

I stifle a yawn. "What do you mean?"

"Armin contacted Hange and asked her to mix up an aerosolized form of the vampire knock out drug, but you weren't supposed to be in there when we used it. The uncontrolled dose could have killed you."

"I should have been able to get out of there. I messed up. Sorry."

He ruffles my hair. "You did fine, brat." I look up at him and a smile starts to spread across my face, but it's short lived as I remember my conversation with the vampires from earlier. "They knew about my dad."

He nods. "I know, the security system picked up the whole thing. We'll try to learn more when we question them."

"So everything's over?"

"Yeah. All the vampires were either killed or recaptured."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "And is everyone alright?"

"We sustained heavy damage. My squad is alive. The kitchen staff too, thanks to you."

I smile, and Levi walks to the door. "I've got work to get back to now that you're up. Hange can bring you to my room when she's done checking you over. Just make sure you wash up first." I look down and realize I'm still covered in blood. "I'll let Hange know you're awake, she'll want to run some tests."

After Levi leaves, Hange comes in holding a cup of animal blood. "Thank God you're up. I was so worried I was going to lose my favorite research subject!"

I give her a mock scowl. "I feel so loved."

She grins, handing me the cup. "Don't worry, I was worried about you too."

I take a sip of blood and my head quickly stops spinning so much. I down the rest and set the cup on the bedside table. I turn my eyes to Hange. "It sounds like your drug saved my life. Thanks."

She waves her hand dismissively. "Thank Armin. He's the one who came up with the plan." She pauses, then looks worried. "Speaking of, you should probably go see him."

"Why, what happened?"

She presses her lips together. "He's been through a pretty traumatic experience. Now that the adrenaline has worn off I think it's finally sinking in."

"Is he gonna be ok?"

"Eventually, but right now he's pretty shaken up." She sighs. "Are you alright? You've been through a lot as well."

I shrug. "Yeah, I'm fine. The vampires are dealt with. That's what's important." She gives me a relieved smile.

Hange spends a while looking me over, and once I'm feeling a bit more steady she points me to the bathroom. I glance into the mirror and grimace. I look like something out of a horror blood comes off my skin pretty easily, but I can't do anything about what's dried onto my clothes. I hope it won't freak out Armin too much.

When I walk into the hall, Armin is sitting on a bench with his head down, staring at his hands. His face is pale and his eyes are puffy from crying. I didn't have to worry- he's covered in blood as well. I take a cautious seat next to him, trying to ignore the smell, but it's not as hard after dealing with the vampires earlier.

Armin keeps his eyes cast down. "You were right Eren, I should never have agreed to work here."

I rest my hand on his shoulder. "You'll be ok."

His voice cracks. "I watched Moses die."

"You're alive. Just try to focus on that."

He looks at me with tears in his eyes. "I don't know how I can stay here after what happened."

I swallow. He doesn't belong here- I know that. He's too innocent for this kind of place. "Then quit. You'll never have to deal with another vampire again."

He gives me a worried look. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Like I said before, don't worry about me. Do what you think is best."

He looks back down. "…alright."

"I'm so sorry I got you involved in this Armin."

He gives a halfhearted shrug. "It's fine. I was the one who made the decision. You did warn me." He sniffs and I pull one arm around him, not wanting to put my self control to the test with a real hug.

Hange comes out of her office. "I've got an exam to finish writing before I teach tomorrow, so I've got to leave. Levi didn't give me a card to get into his room, so I'll just take you to him, alright?" I nod and with one last reassuring squeeze to Armin's hand, I follow her.

Hange takes me to a room that looks a lot like the one I woke up in when I first arrived here. Through the window I see Levi wearing an apron and gloves and holding a pair of pliers. Bean is chained to a chair in front of him, blood dripping from his fingers.

Hange switches on the speaker and I hear the vampire's voice, "…tell you anything. Rip my nails off as many times as you want."

Levi's eyes narrow. "Let's move on to something more fun then, shall we?" He sets down the pliers and pulls out a knife.

"Go ahead," Bean says, but there's a slight wobble to his voice.

Levi lifts the knife and presses it into the vampire's throat, drawing a thin line of blood. "Who let you out of the cages?"

Bean swallows. "I'm not telling you anything." He pauses, cocking his head to the side and sniffing the air. After a moment a sly grin appears on his face. "I smell that little vampire pet of yours. How's he doing? Has he killed anyone yet?"

"Eren is not a pet," Levi snaps. He brings the knife down into Bean's hand.

The vampire flinches and then gives a choked laugh. "He'll show you his true colors eventually."

Levi narrows his eyes, then pulls the knife back out. "If you don't have anything useful to say, then we're done here."

"Did I touch a nerve?" He smirks, flexing his fingers as his hand heals. "I'm willing to bet you'll be the first person he kills when he snaps."

Levi draws his gun. "Eren is not going to snap."

"Try saying that with his fangs in your throat."

Levi presses the gun against Bean's neck, and pulls the trigger. The sound echos in the small room, and the vampire slumps forward. He wipes the blood away with a calm expression. An empty feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.

Levi walks out the door, yanking off his gloves. He tenses for a moment when he sees me, and scowls at Hange. "I thought you were supposed to take him to my room."

She shrugs. "I can't get in there without a key card. What's with you?"

Levi shoots her a vicious glare. "He didn't need to see that."

"What else was I supposed to do? I'm busy."

He grits his teeth. "Fine, I'll take him myself." He grabs my arm and pulls me after him, only letting go once we've turned a corner.

"What's the big deal?" I ask.

"I don't like you watching that type of thing."

"I watched you kill someone earlier."

"It's different." We walk down the hall in silence for a while, and then he asks in a quiet voice, "Does it bother you?"

"After what he did to me? No." I drop my eyes.

The torture may have shaken me up a bit, but it doesn't bother me, he deserved it. But my stomach still feels empty and cold. Levi pulled the trigger so easily. His expression calm and disinterested, no different than normal. And sure, Bean deserved that, but how will he look when he kills me? Is it going to be just as easy? Am I just another vampire to him?


	11. Chapter 11

_Levi_

Eren and I enter Erwin's office. He looks tired and stressed. I shudder when I see the mountain of paperwork in front of him. Suddenly the stack of reports sitting on my desk doesn't seem so bad.

He welcomes us both with a smile, and then turns his attention to the boy next to me. "So I hear Hange's given you a clean bill of health?"

Eren scowls. "Took her long enough."

I roll my eyes. "It's been three days."

"And you left me alone in the room the whole time!"

I click my tongue. "I had shit to do."

Erwin clears his throat, and we both turn our attention back to him. "I'd like to thank you, Eren, for your work the other day. You saved many lives."

The boy rubs his neck. "I just did what I needed to."

"What you did went beyond my expectations. As such, it seems only appropriate that we adjust your duties here accordingly. If you're still interested, I'm willing to let you join squad Levi as a trial member."

A smile lights up his face. "Really?" He turns towards me, and I can practically feel his excitement contaminating the air. "That's ok with you?"

"More than half our personnel is dead. It would be stupid not to use you at this point."

He pauses. "Are you going to train me?"

I rub my forehead. "Yes, who else."

His smile gets even bigger. "When do we start?"

I sigh. His enthusiasm is already making my head hurt. "I'm taking you over to the practice room after this, so calm down."

"I'm calm, I'm calm."

"You are the opposite of calm, stop acting like a kid." He scowls, and I roll my eyes.

Erwin clears his throat again. I grimace. Maybe not the best time to get distracted by Eren. "One more thing before you leave." He slides an ID card across the desk towards the boy. "This is for you. It only opens Levi's door and the door to the practice room you'll be using, but now you'll have a bit more freedom."

Eren's eyes light up as he takes the card. He looks over it with an expression of wonder. "This is awesome!" He slips it into his pocket with a wide grin.

Erwin smiles back and then turns to me. "Levi, may I have a moment to talk to you alone?"

I put my hand on Eren's shoulder. "Why don't you go back to the room and change into something easier to move around in? I'll meet you in our practice room in a bit."

He nods, still with a ridiculous smile on his face, and runs off. Probably can't wait to use his new key card. I shake my head.

I turn back to see Erwin watching me closely. "You shouldn't let yourself get too attached. This is temporary."

I narrow my eyes. "You don't think he'll be able to control himself."

"There's no way to be sure. We've never encountered someone like him before. It's my job to assume the worst. As such, I need to know that you'll be able to do your duty."

"Do I strike you as the sentimental type?"

"I have to be sure."

My mouth draws into a grim line. "I'll do what's necessary. It wouldn't be the first time. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yes that's all. Don't leave your little admirer alone too long." I raise an eyebrow and Erwin sighs "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. He watches you constantly."

"He's a vampire. He's hungry."

Erwin snorts. "Yeah, sure."

I shake my head and walk to the door. "Whatever. See you around."

When I get to the practice room, Eren is already there, dressed in a t shirt and sweatpants. The smile has been replaced with a look of mild discomfort and he's shifting from foot to foot. "So, how's this going to work?" he asks as I approach.

"For now you'll be training with me in the morning. In the afternoon, you'll practice on your own while I work with my squad. I'll start teaching you to shoot once you get a handle on the physical side of things." I walk out onto the mat. He hesitates and then follows. "Normally we'd start with strengthening exercises," I continue, "but given your condition, there's no point." He nods, and I sigh. "Where'd all your energy from earlier go?"

He gives me a sheepish look. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little nervous. You're so good at this, and I'm well... not."

"If that bothers you work hard and pay attention. You've been watching our training sessions for a while now, so you know we focus mainly on hand to hand combat. That's because we can't fire our guns recklessly. A stray bullet could go through several houses, maybe even hit a civilian."

"Then how do you beat them?"

"Dodge, until you can use their momentum to knock them over. And if you have to block, deflect, otherwise you'll find yourself with at least one broken bone."

He shudders. "I'd rather avoid any more of those."

"Exactly, now let's see what you're made of. Try to hit me."

His eyes widen. "I, uh-" he stutters looking lost.

I sigh. "How long are you going to keep me waiting kid?"

He scowls. "I'm not a kid."

"Then pull yourself together and hit me."

He takes a breath and sets his jaw. He comes at me with a messy punch. Great for hitting a motionless idiot, but he completely loses his center of gravity. At least he's not totally new to this, but still another vampire would have no trouble hitting him into the nearest wall. All I need to do is dodge to the side and give him little push and he goes tumbling to the mat.

I click my tongue. "Back up, give it another shot. This time try not to fall over so quickly."

He glares at me and tries again. This punch also throws him completely off balance, and in another moment I have him back on the mat.

He gives a frustrated huff. "You're just showing off. I'm not going to learn anything this way."

I sigh. "I'm barely trying. Start using your brain. Figure out what you're doing wrong."

He closes his eyes and takes a couple deep breath. When he opens them he looks more focused. This time he's ready when I dodge out of the way. He turns, and throws a solid second punch. I drop and sweep his leg out from under him but he catches himself at the last moment.

He brings his fist at me with enough force to shatter bone. I grimace and dodge out of the way. This is rather different than teaching a human. I tip him off balance and he lands on the mat, but he's doing better. As he stands back up I almost catch myself smiling. His reflexes are a little slow, but his speed makes up for it.

We take a break an hour in. "So? What have you learned so far?" I ask him.

He grimaces. "I have terrible balance."

"Exactly, and balance is key to dodging effectively. Some of that comes from knowing the right moves, but most of it comes from practice. I have a feeling anything too fancy would go right over your head anyway."

He pouts, and I have to suppress a laugh. "That being said, I will teach you some techniques, especially for dodging. You may be more durable than us, but if they get a good grip they'll rip off your head and kill you." He shivers and rubs his neck.

I pull a notebook out of my bag and write down a couple moves, then hold it out to him. "You can use this for reference when you're practicing on your own. I'll add to it as we go."

He takes a look at it and raises his eyebrows. "Am I supposed to know what this says?"

"I'll demonstrate now, and if you need help, just ask anyone."

When practice is finished, I'm feeling a lot more optimistic. He's a fast learner and that combined with his superior speed and strength means it won't take him too long to catch up with the rest of the squad.

Just before we leave, he turns to me with a serious expression. "I know it must be a pain to teach someone like me, so thank you."

"Don't worry about it. You're not half bad." We walk back to my room to get ready for lunch.

* * *

_Erwin_

I lean back in my chair and rub my eyes. I've still got hours of paperwork to do, but I think I'll call it a night. I pull out my phone and click it on. I frown. Still no messages.

Ever since I gave Armin my number, he's been texting me constantly, but since the vampire incident I haven't heard a thing. He hasn't been in to work either. I don't blame him for avoiding this place, but the silence is more than a little worrying. I need to do something. I stand up, stretch, and take a look at the clock. It's getting late, but Armin strikes me as a night owl anyway.

I leave the facility and head towards his apartment. A while later I walk up to his door, knocking briskly. He appears wearing pajamas, hair messy. Shadows hang under his eyes, and his face is a little too pale. He looks embarrassed when he sees me.

I wince. He's really not doing so well. And it's all my fault. "Do you mind if I come in?" I ask.

He bites his lip and shakes his head. I follow him to the main room. There are empty coffee mugs lying around, and it looks like he hasn't done any cleaning in days. He points me to an armchair and then moves some clothing off the couch to make room for himself.

I sit down and rest my arms on my knees, folding and unfolding my hands. I know what I need to say, but I still find it hard to start. "Armin I… I apologize for getting you involved."

He plays with the hem of his shirt, avoiding my gaze. "I made the decision on my own."

"Still, I'm responsible. It's my job to keep people safe, and that includes you."

He gives a dry laugh. "If anything I'm the one who should have kept something like that from happening, right? I was in charge of computer security."

"That was not your fault. What I asked for was protection against further hacking. I hadn't considered an internal threat, although I should have. Given the situation, you did remarkably well. You're a valuable asset, it's a shame to see you go."

"Right. Sorry I haven't been in." He glances down, now picking at a loose thread on the couch.

I sigh. "Don't worry about that. It's not why I'm here." I do my best to sound calming. "Hange says you haven't been going to class?"

He shrugs. "It's just exams at this point. It's not like I learn anything by taking them."

I raise my eyebrows. "That doesn't mean they aren't important, especially if you're going to med school after this."

He finally raises his eyes to meet mine. "I'm not going med school."

I raise an eyebrow. "You need some sort of plan for the future, since you quit working for us."

A look of determination crosses his face. "I'm not quitting. I just needed a break."

I blink back my surprise. "Are you sure? I can't promise you that you won't be put in danger again."

"I know, and that scares me, but I can't leave. At first the job was just a way to pass the time. I knew the risks, but I couldn't even imagine something so horrible happening." He pulls at piece of his hair. "Now I know exactly what we're up against. I know just how real the threat is to my friends, my family, to  _everyone_. I can't walk away from a chance to help them."

"You're sure about this."

"I've spent the last couple days thinking it through. This is what I want."

I lean back. This really wasn't what I was expecting. I'd rather leave him out of this and keep him  _safe,_  but whether I like it or not we need him. I give him a warm smile. "In that case I look forward to continuing to work with you. Will you be in tomorrow, or do you need a few more days off?"

He smiles a bit. "Tomorrow is fine."

"Great, I'll see you then. I'm really glad you're alright." My smile stays on my face as I leave his apartment. I'm truly happy this won't be the last I'm seeing of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just made a [tumblr](https://clairathearcticfox.tumblr.com/)! You can contact me with any questions, comments, or criticism- or just to say hi :) I'd love to hear from you!  
> 


	12. Chapter 12

_Eren_

A couple days later, Levi wakes me from my nap with his usual swift kick. I scowl at him. "What is it? I thought I could sleep until dinner today."

"We have another mission tonight."

I groan. Levi's had quite a few since I got here and that inevitably means being stuck in the room with nothing but my phone to keep me company. "You woke me up just to tell me that?"

"I woke you up because you're coming too."

I perk up. "Really?"

"Before you get all excited, you'll be staying in the van." He gives me a sharp look. "If you get out, the vampires will be the least of your problems." I nod, still smiling. He rolls his eyes. "Come on, it's not that exciting."

"I can't wait to see you in a real fight."

He draws his eyebrows together. "A real fight is dangerous, you should know that by now. It's nothing to get excited about."

"I know that but I can't help it. Besides, I haven't been out of the base in almost two months."

He sighs. "We're leaving at five o'clock, but first we have to take care of something."

"What?"

Just get ready. He waits impatiently while I drag myself out of bed, and then takes me to another part of the facility. Through the walls of one of the rooms, I see a blond man sitting at a table full of mechanical parts. My eyes widen. Is that…?

Levi opens the door. "Meet Hannes. He's our engineer."

"No way." A smile spreads across my face.

The smile he gives me in return is pinched and nervous. "Eren. It's, um, good to see you." I draw my eyebrows together. Shouldn't he be a bit more excited? It's been years since we last saw one another.

"You two know each other?" Levi asks.

"Yeah. When I was a kid, he used to come by my house all the time." I give him a curious look. "Why didn't you say something about working here?"

He shrugs, not making eye contact. "I always have a lot to do since Hange came to work here. Guess I didn't have the time." His eyes meet mine for a quick moment before darting away again.

My heart sinks. "No, I get it. I wouldn't want to take the time to go see a vampire either."

"No, it's just…" He trails off, shifting in his seat. "Anyway, you're here about getting entered into our database, right?" He rummages around a bit and comes over with a little scanner. He plugs it into a computer and then steps back. "Here, stick your hand on that." I put my hand on the metal square and after a moment it makes a little beeping sound.

"Alright, all finished. You should have no problem getting in and out now, vampire or not."

"Thanks," I say as we leave.

When the door closes I breathe out a long sigh. It makes sense that not everyone would react as well as Armin, but it still sucks. I'm not a vampire because I want to be.

Levi puts a hand lightly on my shoulder. "I'm sure he'll get used it."

I lean into his touch. "Yeah, it's still weird. I knew him so well, you know?"

"He just has to see that you're the same person you were before."

"Am I though?" I ask quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"How do I know that I am the same person? It might just be my imagination but I feel different. Like I don't see things the same way I used to."

"Experiences change people, idiot. Besides, Armin would have noticed anything seriously wrong with you. He's perceptive." I blink. Is Levi trying to make me feel better? When I don't respond he continues. "Don't worry about it too much. I've only known you as a vampire, but I think you're fine the way you are." I give him a small smile, and the two of us return to his room to get ready.

* * *

A couple hours later, I sit in the van with Levi and the rest of his squad. We roll up in front of an abandoned building, and Armin's voice comes over the ear piece, "Alright. Can everyone hear me?" They all respond. "Good. I'm here if you need anything."

Oluo covers his microphone. "Are we sure having Arlert as our support system is a good idea?"

"Erwin's right there with him," Levi responds. "Now let's get moving. Petra, I'm leaving you in the van to watch Eren. Make sure he stays here. Only come out if something goes wrong."

She looks dissatisfied but nods her head. The rest of them climb out and disappear around the corner of the building.

Once they're out of sight, I flip off my microphone and turn to Petra. "Sorry you're stuck waiting here with me."

She smiles and turns hers off too. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to being stuck with the boring jobs."

"Why? You're just as skilled as everyone else."

She hesitates. "It's probably because I almost died on my first mission. One of the other members did die. Since then Levi's been extra protective of me."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

She shrugs. "Death is something you get used to in this job." She smiles good humoredly. "Sometimes I think I'm crazy for staying here."

"Then why do you?"

A sad look appears in her eyes. "My brother was a police officer. He walked right into a nest of vampires totally unaware and was killed. I was already in the military at that point so Erwin tracked my down and told me what really happened to him. He asked if I wanted to join the Survey Corps and I said yes without a second thought."

"Do you regret it?"

"No, but it's not what I was expecting. All the death." She's silent for a moment. "Levi has it worse. He's had to watch his team members dying again and again for years. I don't know how he does it."

The voices on the earpiece pick back up. "I guess we found our missing persons, but are you sure this is our kind of thing? There's not a single fang mark," says Oluo.

"Dieter saw multiple bodies that didn't register on a thermal camera this morning. It's hard to believe it could be anything else," Levi replies. "Check all the bodies. See if anyone's still alive."

There's silence for a moment and then Eld's voice comes through the earpiece. "I found Luke. He's dead. They all are…" A moment of quiet and then, "No wait, there's someone moving over here! I'll- shit!" A shot rings out and Eld's voice comes back over the line. "It was a vampire. Careful everyone. They're not all dead."

"There are a few others moving. I'm checking it out," Oluo says. There's more silence, and then another shot. "Damnit, two of them got away. They're heading for the-"

A loud crash drowns out the rest of his sentence. Two figures come flying through the upstairs window and land hard on the pavement.

Petra's eyes go wide. "Stay here Eren. I have to deal with this."

I grab her arm. "There are two of them!"

"It's fine, I can handle it," she says. She opens the door. "You hear me? Levi said to stay put."

I look around the van and grab a knife from a box of extra weapons. I wait until Petra's halfway across the street and then hop out of the van to follow her.

"Eren-"

I set my jaw. "I'm coming."

She doesn't have time to argue. The vamps are picking themselves up off the ground, torn skin knitting back together and broken bones snapping into place.

She turns on her microphone with a grim expression. "I'm intercepting the two vampires with Eren."

Levi's voice sounds in my ear, angry. "What's he- Goddamn it. Just don't let them get away. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Be careful, those vampires were acting strange," adds Oluo.

The two vampires head straight for Petra. Their eyes are wild and they hiss as they close in.

I run at the closer one, slicing the knife across his back. "Hey, shithead, I'm over here!" He turns with a snarl and lunges at me, arms reaching out. Levi's training pays off, and I dodge out of the way. His motions are too direct, like he's not thinking. I can do this.

He throws himself at me again and I slip just outside his reach. His eyes boil with rage and he aims a punch at my stomach. It grazes my skin as I just barely evade, and then I see my chance to take him down. I dart in close to him and push.

His weight has shifted and he doesn't budge. I bring my knife up but he moves too fast, slamming his fist into the side of my head. The shock runs through my whole body and I crash to the pavement, the knife skittering out of my reach.

Then he's on me, scratching and tearing at my skin, growling like an animal. I struggle, but he's so much stronger. His fingers dig into my chest like claws and sharp jolts of pain run through my body. I can't breath. Tears well up in my eyes.

I hear a shot and the vampire collapses on top of me. I push him off, panting. The gashes on my skin start to close, and I stagger to my feet.

Levi is standing in front of me, expression full of furry. He grabs the front of my shirt and heaves me up into the side of the building. "I told you to stay in the van," he growls.

I glare at him. "How could I when they were right there? I'm supposed to just sit here and watch Petra fight alone when I might be able to help?"

"Yes. You could have trusted us to do our job. We're professionals, and right now you're just a damn trainee who doesn't even have a gun. If I hadn't shown up when I did, you'd be dead."

I open my mouth to respond, but Petra calls out to Levi. "You'd better come take a look at this."

Levi lets go of my shirt and gives me one last scathing glare. "Pick up the knife and get back in the van. We'll finish this talk later." He goes over to where Petra and the others are crowded around one of the bodies. I walk back slowly, straining my ears to catch what they're saying. I don't like being left out.

"It's Dieter," Petra says. They all look on in silence for a moment.

"Who would change a bunch of vampires and then just leave them here?" Eld asks.

"And what about the rest of the bodies?" says Gunther.

Levi presses his lips together. "What I'm more worried about is their behavior. Let's get back in there and search the place. We won't find any answers standing around."

* * *

_Levi_

I glance at Eren as we make our way down the halls to my room and fresh anger grows in me. Why am I getting so worked up about some fucking brat? Like Erwin said, I'm probably going to have to kill him at some point anyway, why should I care if he goes and gets the job done a little sooner?

But seeing that vampire tearing him up had my heart pounding in my chest. Even though I knew he would just heal. Even though I knew it was his own damn fault.

I grit my teeth. I shouldn't care. But I do. Goddamnit, for some unfathomable reason I actually care what happens to this- this  _vampire_.

When we get back to the room I point to his bed. "Sit."

He plops down. "I'm sorry Levi, I-"

I glare at him. "Shut it. If that vampire hadn't been out of his mind, he would've killed you. Don't you have any regard for your own life?"

He looks away. "I'm gonna die sooner or later anyway. Might as well be doing something useful."

I run my hand over my face. Damn it, why does he have to be so thickheaded? "That's no reason to act suicidal."

"I wasn't!"

"Rushing a vampire without a gun? That's the definition of suicidal."

He turns his eyes on me with a bitter expression. "It'll save you the trouble of killing me when it comes down. Don't pretend you care what happens to me. "

"You think I'm pretending? After all the effort I put into training you?"

He huffs. "You hate vampires."

"Yes I hate them, but that doesn't mean…" I pinch the bridge of my nose. "That doesn't mean I hate  _you_ , ok?" He blinks in surprise, but doesn't look fully convinced. I sigh. "As it is you're not dangerous- you're making  _progress_. Don't throw your life away for nothing."

"I just wanted to help."

I ruffle his hair and his expression softens. "I know. Hopefully it won't be too long before you're able to participate. In the meantime keep practicing." I give him a light glare. "Disobey orders again and I'll put a bullet in you."

He grins. "Ok."

* * *

_Eren_

About half an hour later, I stand in the small amount of floor space in our room, going over some of the moves I learned from Levi. I'm still full of nervous energy, and I need to practice more. I won't lose again. I won't be a burden to Levi.

He comes out of the bathroom, shirtless and toweling off his hair. He pauses when he sees me. "What are you doing?"

I shrug. "You told me to practice, so I'm practicing."

"We were just on a mission."

"And?" I try the move again, frustrated.

Levi raises an eyebrow. "That's supposed to help you dodge you know."

I frown. "It's just going to get me hit."

"That's because you're doing it wrong." He hangs the towel on the door and comes over to me. I can't help but stare. Someone with a body like that should not be walking around shirtless- and the sweet smell of his blood isn't helping.

"Try it again," he says. I take two steps, then pivot and step and my feet end up tangled together.

He flicks my chin. "Eyes forward, pretend you're actually trying to dodge something. Take bigger steps and turn your body as you move." He places his hands on my shoulders. His skin is so warm I just want to lean into his touch.

He moves my body as I do the steps again. This time it comes out right, but I'm breathing faster as he continues to touch me.

Levi takes a step back. "Sorry, was I too close? I thought you were getting better around people."

"Oh, uh, I'm fine." He nods but doesn't touch me again.

"That's looking much better," he says after a couple more times through.

"Thanks!" I pull out the notebook and give him a hopeful grin. "And the next one?"

"I have work to do." My heart sinks. He watches me for a moment then sighs and shakes his head. "If you want to continue, Petra goes to our practice room every evening, even after missions. You can head over there.

I perk up a bit. I'd rather stay with Levi, but I get along well with Petra. "Ok."

When I come into the practice room, Petra smiles at me. "Eren! Levi just texted me saying you were on your way."

I pretend to pout. "He kicked me out because he had work to do."

She smiles. "Well that's what you have a key card for, right?"

The two of us practice for about an hour, and then Petra takes a break. She sits down on the bench and gestures for me to sit next to her. She leans towards me with a grin on her face. "So I've got to know. What's living with Levi like?" I give her a wary look. "I won't tell him what you say, I'm just curious," she adds.

I let out a sigh. "He watches me fold my clothes because he doesn't like it when my shirts are wrinkled. I have to wipe down the toilet, sink, and shower every other day, and we do an in depth cleaning of the entire room once a week even though the place is already spotless. And he makes me do the whole thing over again if I miss  _anything_. He's crazy," I grumble.

She laughs. "What else though, besides the cleaning?"

I shrug. "Other than that… I guess it's pretty easy. He keeps to himself most of the time. When we do talk he's pretty harsh, but his words aren't backed up with actions- at least not since I first arrived."

"So it's not hard, being with him constantly?"

"Anyone else and I'd probably be climbing the walls, but not with Levi. I feel a bit bad though- I know I'm not as easy to be around."

"Most people think Levi's the one who's difficult to be around."

I shrug. "I like being with him."

A slow smile creeps across her face. "I think he likes being with you too."

I raise my eyebrows. "I'm a vampire. He doesn't like me."

"Are you sure about that?"

I snort. "I annoy the hell out of him."

"I think that's a sign that he actually cares about you. Normally he doesn't pay much attention to other people."

I sigh. "I guess it would be nice if that were true."

She gives me a mischievous smile. "I knew it. You like him, don't you."

My eyes go wide. "What? No."

"I've seen the way you watch him. Sometimes you get this sort of dreamy look on your face, and-"

"I do not!"

She laughs. "Wanna know something good? Levi's gay."

That gets my attention more than it probably should. "How do you know?"

She blushes slightly. "I may have made a pass at him when I first got here."

I smile at the image that brings to mind. "Seriously?"

She groans. "I know. I was young and adventurous."

"When was this?"

"A year ago."

I laugh, and decide that's enough talking about my (nonexistent) feelings for Levi. "Do you want to keep practicing now?"

She nods with a teasing grin. "Alright, I'll let you go. For now."

The two of us work for a bit longer and then call it a night. On the way back to the room I can't help but think about what Petra said. I admit it, Levi's more than a little bit attractive. And he's an incredible fighter. I admire him, but that doesn't mean I have  _feelings_  for him.

Yes having his hands on me felt amazing, but that's normal when someone looks like he does, right? Besides I was happier about the help he was giving me. It doesn't matter what he does, even if he's usually grouchy. I just want to be around him…

Ok that does sound a lot like I like him. I drop my face into my hands. Petra was right. How am I supposed to face him now? I live with him!

It takes me a couple extra minutes to get up the courage to go into his room. When I do, I'm glad the light is already off. I change and climb into bed. Even in the dark, I can see Levi's face clearly. He looks vaguely pissed off even asleep, which I can't help but find kind of cute. I groan into my blankets. I'm screwed.


	13. Chapter 13

_Eren_

My phone dings.

 **Petra:**  I'm headed over to the practice room now. Wanna come?

I grin. The two of us have been hanging out a lot recently. It's a nice change of pace. Now that I know how I feel, being around Levi is getting more and more awkward. I think he's starting to notice something's going on.

I stand up. "Hey Levi, mind if I go practice?"

He looks up from his paperwork and glances at the clock. "Actually there's something we need to do. You can go later."

I frown. "What? Does Hange need to run more tests?"

"Erwin and I need to talk to you," he says, face unreadable as always. I grimace. Last time we went to see him it was so he could chew me out for disobeying orders.

Erwin's working at his desk as usual when we come in. He greets me with a smile, and I relax. It doesn't look like I'm in trouble this time.

"I've got some good news for you Eren," he says. "You're cleared to go on missions."

I grin. "Oh my god, really? Thank you! When do we have our next mission?" I say all at once.

"We have something to do tomorrow…" He and Levi exchange a worried look. "But you might want to sit it out."

"Why would I do that?"

Erwin holds up a flash drive. "We found this during the mission you went along on. It explains what was happening there. It was part of a series of experiments on creating vampires. Hange says the findings look legitimate. We also got a location off the drive. Somewhere they're storing materials. We've been watching the place, and we're going in tomorrow. There's a chance it's a trap, which is why we're sending squad Levi, our best."

"That still doesn't explain why I'd sit it out."

He looks at me, face unreadable. "Your dad's the one running the experiments."

Rage boils up in my chest. What does the bastard think he's doing creating more of us? I fight to keep my face neutral. I can't let them keep me from this mission. If I'm lucky, this'll be my chance at revenge. I'll get him back for everything he's done. I take a couple deep breaths and fix Erwin with a steady look. "Then I'll finally get an opportunity to kill him."

Erwin rubs his forehead. "The reason I suggest sitting this one out is because we're worried about you going off on your own. If you can't keep your cool and you endanger the mission, we'll pull you off the squad."

"I won't do anything stupid," I promise. Erwin studies me carefully and I do my best to look calm and put together.

"Alright then. I suppose it's highly unlikely that you'll run into him this time anyway, but don't forget."

I swallow and nod. "I won't."

"One more thing. Don't speak of this, or anything else regarding your missions with anyone outside the squad. After the escape, we know we have a traitor."

I nod again, and Levi and I leave. As we walk down the hall my excitement comes back. I can't wait to tell Petra I'm officially part of the squad! "I'm gonna go practice now, ok?" I ask Levi.

He makes a face, muttering something about being fully capable of helping me too.

"What'd you say?"

He sighs and shakes his head. "Nothing. Go on."

* * *

The next day I sit in the van full of nervous energy. Both because of the prospect of my father, and because I'm  _right next_  to Levi. Our knees are practically touching. I'm trying not to be weird by pulling away, but what if that's making it weird? I drum my fingers across the seat.

Levi glares at me. "Will you cut that out?"

I pull my hands onto my lap. "Sorry."

Petra laughs. "It's just first time jitters." She winks at me. "Don't worry so much." I shoot her a dirty look and she stifles another laugh.

We pull up at the destination. It's an abandoned warehouse by the pier, which seems more than a little cliché. I laugh nervously, and as we all climb out of the van I accidently put my hand on Levi's arm. I jerk back. "Sorry."

Levi closes his eyes for a moment and then grabs me by the arm, pulling me away from the group. He switches off his microphone. "Alright. Time to tell me what's going on."

I flip mine off as well. "What do you mean?"

"You've been acting weird for a while, and I'm worried it's going to affect your performance."

I feel my cheeks heat up and hide my face. "Sorry."

"So there is something wrong?"

"No! I mean…" I trail off. What am I supposed to tell him? I can't just make something up, I have a feeling he'd know I'm lying, and that would just make the situation worse.

"Eren?"

"I, uh…" I grimace. Should I just tell him the truth? No, he'd probably kick me out of his room if I do. I definitely don't want that. But do I have a choice?

Levi looks irritated. "Just spit it out."

"What's taking you so long?" calls Oluo.

I breathe out a sigh. "Can we talk about this later? I promise I won't let it affect the mission."

He nods with a stern look in his eye. "You'd better not."

We all get into formation outside the door and Levi cautiously eases it open. I blink as my eyes adjust to the dark. The inside of the warehouse is full of haphazard stacks of crates, entirely filling the interior. Oluo groans. "Are we going to have to look through all of these?"

Levi nods. "But first we have to check the place out. Petra and Eld stay here, Oluo and Gunther go right. Eren and I will go left." We draw our guns and divide into pairs. I swallow nervously and Petra gives me a warm smile.

"We'll be fine. See you soon." I watch her walk off, and then turn to follow Levi. As usual, my eyes are drawn to him. The way he moves silently and stealthily, like a predator. I shake my head and pull my eyes away. This is not the time for letting myself get distracted. I have to focus. I peer around the crates, looking for anything out of place.

Then we Gunther screaming.

* * *

_Levi_

Oluo's voice comes over the intercom. "We need backup, now!"

"What's going on?" asks Armin.

"Vampires," he responds in a grim voice. There's a gunshot, and then another. Eren and I rush towards the sound, arriving right at the same time as Petra and Eld.

Gunther is lying on the ground, covered in blood from his torn open neck, empty eyes staring straight ahead. I feel my stomach tie up in knots.

The bodies of two vampires lie at Oluo's feet, but more are quickly creeping towards him from around the crates. A lot more.

"Armin, send two teams- maybe more- as fast as you can get them," I say.

Erwin's voice comes over the line. "What's going on Levi?"

"They were waiting for us. At least two dozen of them." I grit my teeth. "Asume none of us will be in fighting condition when you get here."

Beside me, Eren tenses. "What do we do?"

"We fight. Everyone stay together, watch each other's backs."

The vampires pause for a moment when they see us. "Is the Jaeger boy here?" calls one of them. Eren's shoulders stiffen.

I put a hand on his arm. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Hand him over and we'll kill the rest of you nice and quick. His dad wants him back," it continues.

"Where is he?" Eren growls.

"Sorry, not here. I can take you to him if you want. It'll be a nice family reunion. Or it would be if your dear mother was still breathing." Eren's eyes light up with fiery anger.

"Eren don't-" He rushes at him, lips curled into a snarl. The vampire laughs as he closes in. I grit my teeth, hoping Eren will calm down and  _think_ but of course he doesn't. The vampire hits him hard in the face, and he flies into a crate, splintering the wood, his com falling uselessly to the floor.

The rest of the vampires take this as a signal to start moving, and in a second they're on top of us. Everyone's fighting more than they can handle. Eren pulls himself back to his feet, but he's surrounded.

I sprint towards him and two vampires cut me off just before I can reach him. I swing my fist at the first one. He blocks instinctively but instead of hitting I slide behind him. I lift my gun and pull the trigger. The other looks shocked for a moment, and that's all I need. The second vampire hits the floor and I look back at Eren. Petra is fighting next to him now and two bodies already lie at their feet. He's dodging and fighting just like I taught him. He'll be fine.

Oluo is doing well against three opponents and Eld… As I watch a vampire creeps up on him. He keeps at the one he's fighting, unaware. I swear and take off at a run. I knock it off balance, yank its head down, and put a bullet through its neck.

"Thanks," says Eld, as the one he was fighting drops as well.

Another vampire appears behind him out of nowhere. I move again, but too late. It brings its hands up and snaps his neck. My breath catches in my throat and my chest tightens, but I don't have time to grieve. I bare my teeth and hurl myself at the vampire. I dodge his first blow, and he never gets a chance at a second. When I look up from his fallen body, I'm surrounded. Five, no six vamps closing in. I grit my teeth and get ready.

One of them drops to the ground suddenly and then Oluo is next to me, smiling bleakly. "Need some help captain?" We move smoothly together after years of practice. I know I can trust him with my back.

Just as the last of the vampires hits the floor, we hear a shriek. Petra. I whirl around to see her locked tight in the arms of a vampire. She looks at me with wide, terrified eyes, and then its fangs sink into her neck. Eren roars, but two vampires are holding him back. Her body goes limp and the gun drops from her hands. Next to me, Oluo freezes, staring in horror.

"Oluo! Snap out of it!" Three more vampires come between the two of us. I growl and put a bullet in the first one, then try to slip past the other two. One of them takes a swing at me and my com is shattered to pieces. It only stalls me for a second, but that's a second too long.

A vampire grabs Oluo. He wakes from his trance and struggles, but another pins his arms to his sides. They both sink their fangs into his neck. My heart pounds in my chest. My entire squad is dead. All but Eren.

I run towards him. He's kneeling beside Petra's body, staring at her in a daze. The vampire that killed her is lying dead by his side, along with the two vampires that had been holding him.

I hear a snarl as another vampire stalks towards him. "You fucking bastard!" it says, glaring at Eren. It scoops Petra's gun off the ground and closes in on him.

Eren doesn't react fast enough. The vampire aims right at his neck. I dive into Eren, knocking him out of harm's way just as the shot rings out. Pain erupts in my side. I look down to see blood soaking my shirt.  _Fuck._

Another vampire rips the gun from the attacker's hands. "What were you thinking? You almost killed the Jaeger kid."

The first one snarls. "He's the one killing us!"

The other shoots us a deadly glare, but doesn't let go of the other vampire. "That doesn't mean we can kill him. We'll take him back once the human is dead."

I turn my attention back to Eren. "You alright?" I ask, voice strained.

"Y-yeah." He stares at my wound, eyes a deep red. "You're bleeding."

I give a dry laugh and wince as more pain shoots through my body. "Obviously. I just took a bullet in the side." Blood drips from my wound down onto his shirt. That can't be good. I shove myself away from him, but the damage is done.

Eren touches the stain with his fingers and his eyes glaze over. He lifts them slowly towards his mouth. I grab his arm. "Get ahold of yourself." His eyes darken and he pushes me roughly to the ground, staring at my neck like he's in a trance. I fumble for my gun.

His eyes flash. "You can't do that." He pries it from my grip and throws it off to the side, then his hold on me tightens. "You smell so good Levi."

I struggle, but my strength is slipping away from the bullet hole in my side. I can't get out from under him. "Let go of me you brat," I growl. He ignores me completely, pinning my arms down and staring at my neck, eyes full of desire. He closes the distance with an open mouth, and his fangs pierce my skin.

* * *

_Eren_

I moan and sink my fangs in deeper. Levi's blood is so much better than the woman's. The best thing I've ever tasted. Warm and intoxicating and perfect. I lap at the crimson stream and pull him closer as he struggles and swears. I get lost in the sensations. The taste, the smell, the rapid pounding of his heart… it all feels so right.

Gradually his struggling grows weaker, and then stops altogether. Through the hunger filled haze, a pang of fear goes through me. I don't want Levi to die. But I can't stop myself. It tastes too good. His heartbeat slows further and I start to panic. I'm going to kill him.

I summon every last shred of will power and rip myself away. As I wipe the blood from my mouth, rage starts to burn inside me. I spin with a snarl, only to see the leading vampire looking at me with a satisfied expression. The one who shot Levi is nowhere to be seen.

He smiles. "Sorry about that. Glad you chose to come over to our side."

I clench my jaw. "I am not on your side." I rush him head on, instincts I didn't know I had taking over. The vampire's eyes widen, and then I'm ripping his head from his body, blood splattering over the floor as he falls.

The remaining vampires all come at me at once, but it's like they're moving in slow motion. I dodge out of the way, and catch a hold of one of them. He struggles and twists, but I grab his head and pull. It comes off in my hands with another spray of crimson.

I turn to the next one. It smells of Oluo's blood. My face twists into a vicious snarl and I grab him. I dig my fingers into the back of his neck and he screams. A moment later his head is in my hands.

The rest of the vampires fall just as easily, until I'm standing amidst a pile of bodies and dismembered heads. I rush back to Levi's side. He's lying still, skin pale, breathing ragged, but his heart is still beating.

I scoop him up gently and carry him from the warehouse. Backup is pulling in nearby, but Levi needs Hange- now. I'll talk to them later.

I run as fast as I can, darting past cars and houses. My feet pound against the pavement. The sweet smell of Levi's blood wafts around me. I can hold myself back for now, but I don't know how long that that will last. So I run.


	14. Chapter 14

_Eren_

I press the call button once I reach the elevator to the base. "Armin, let me in."

"Eren, what's- Oh my God, is that Levi?"

"Let me  _in_."

"Right, sorry."

There's a beep and the elevator starts to slide down. I take off running again as soon as the doors open.

When I reach the medical room, Hange is already standing there waiting. She takes me into a room that looks very much like an operating room and I set him down on a metal table. His skin is deathly pale and his eyes are sunken. My hands tremble. I did this to him.

"Eren, you need to wait outside," Hange says.

I nod and drag myself away to the seating area. I sink into one of the chairs and drop my head into my hands. If Levi dies I'll never forgive myself. What was I thinking, that they could cure me? All I deserve is a bullet through the skull.

After what feels like hours of waiting, I start to get hungry. Really hungry. I don't want to miss any news about Levi, but if I don't eat soon… I go back to Levi's room and pull out the three bottles of animal blood I've got left. I drink the first down quickly. It quenches my thirst just a bit and gives me a moment to think.

I look down at my blood covered clothing. The first thing I need to do is shower and change. A shower might help relax me as well. I hop in, but I'm too jittery to even enjoy the warmth. It's like the hunger's eating me alive.

When I get out, I drink down the other two bottles, but they don't help much more than the first. I sink onto my bed and run my hand through my hair. What the hell am I supposed to do? I fucked up so badly and now I'm paying the price. But I can't let myself lose control. I have to know whether Levi's alright.

There's a knock on my door. I rush to open it and see Hange standing in the doorway, looking exhausted.

"Is Levi ok?" I ask.

She nods. "He's stable. I think he's going to make it."

I slump back down onto my bed. "Oh thank God."

She takes a couple steps into the room, and her eyes widen when she sees the row of empty bottles. "Are  _you_  alright?"

I nod. "I'm just thirsty. Do you have any more?"

"Yeah, back in the lab. Is this because of all Levi's blood? Eren what happened out there?"

I press my lips into a grim line. "You'll find out when Levi wakes up." I'll face the consequences once I know he's alright. "Can I see him?"

"He's asleep, but I don't see why not."

I follow her back to the medical room where Levi's lying on one of the beds. His skin looks ashen, and a white bandage is wrapped around his neck. The blankets keep the other wound hidden. He looks so frail and weak. Not a trace of his usual commanding presence. My heart clenches in my chest.

"Are you going to be ok in here alone?" Hange asks. I nod. "Alright, I'll grab your blood then."

She walks out and I go over to the bed. I gaze down at Levi. The shadows under his eyes are even more prominent than usual. I touch his hand- it's ice cold. I run a finger along the bandage on his neck and my chest tightens. He looks- well, he looks like he was attacked by a vampire.

Attacked by me.

And still I can't shake the desire to sink my teeth right back in. My mouth waters as I remember just how good he tastes. Even after the blood's been cleaned away I can smell it clearly, invading my consciousness and urging me to lean down…

I pull back my hand and step away. What am I thinking?

Hange comes back in holding a few more bottles of blood between her arms. She hands one to me, and sets the other two down on a table. I take a sip, but all I can think about is Levi, lying in the bed behind me, full of such sweet blood. "I probably shouldn't stay here for too long."

She nods, and the two of us walk out to the hallway. As Levi's smell fades, it's replaced by another smell- Hange. Not quite as all consuming as Levi, but in my current state irresistible. She starts saying something about Erwin wanting to talk to me, but I can't focus on her words. I can hear her heart beating and the blood rushing through her veins just under the skin of her neck. I lick my lips.

"Eren? Are you listening to me?"

I take a step back, eyes wide. "I think you need to sedate me."

"What?"

I take a breath through my mouth. "The animal blood isn't helping. Sedate me before I bite you."

She looks conflicted. "Are you sure? Erwin really needs to see you."

"This can't wait. I think you're going to need to lock me up for a while."

"Why?"

"Hange please!" I say, desperation leaking into my tone.

"Um, alright, there's a cell in the lab. I can bring you there if you want."

I shake my head. "I'm not sure I'll last that long."

She nods, then pulls out a syringe. I close my eyes and feel a sharp prick in my arm. My head starts to feel a little foggy, but that's it. I open my eyes again.

Hange looks confused. "I adjusted the dose to take your diet into consideration, it should have…" she trails off, eyes widening.

I grimace. "Sorry but I'm gonna need the full dose."

"Eren you didn't- How could you?"

"Can we talk about this later? I can't control myself for much longer. Either sedate me or shoot me."

She moves the needle back to my arm and pushes the plunger all the way down.

* * *

_Erwin_

I survey the scene in front of me with a somber expression. Grisha Jaeger is quite a formidable enemy it seems. Considering his past with us, I shouldn't be surprised, but squad Levi was our best. Now four of them are dead and the other two missing- probably kidnapped. Then there are the thirty dead vampires. The strangest part is that ten of them look like they were killed by another vampire, a strong one. Eren wouldn't be capable of that. Not unless… I sigh. Let's just hope it's not that.

"Search the place top to bottom," I tell Mike. "We need to figure out where they took Eren and Levi."

The two squads begin opening the crates. "You should come take a look at this," one of them calls to me.

"What is it?"

"It looks like blood. Vampire or human we can't be sure, but there's a lot of it."

I look down at the crimson bags. "Are the all full of blood?"

"No. It's the weirdest thing, a lot of them are nothing but wood shavings."

I sigh and survey the stacks of crates filling the warehouse. "Most likely their sole purpose was to provide something for the vampires to hide behind. This was well thought out."

He grimaces. "There's something else you should see as well." He takes me over to another of the crates and lifts the lid off. The inside is carefully packed full of test tubes varying in color from clear to a deep red. "There are a couple full of stuff like this."

"Any idea what it is?"

"None."

"Alright. We'll take them back with the rest of it and have Hange take a look."

My cell phone rings. It's Armin. "Hello?" I say.

"Erwin! Eren and Levi just arrived. Levi's… he's…" he sobs.

"Take a deep breath and tell me what happened," I say, making my voice as gentle as I can.

After a moment, he calms down enough to talk. "Eren brought Levi in. He's hurt really badly- shot and b-bitten. Hange's w-working on him right now. "

My breath catches. "Is he going to be ok?"

He sobs again, his voice becoming more desperate. "She doesn't kn-know."

"And Eren?"

He pauses. "Eren's fine."

"No, I mean where is he. Is he secure?"

"What do you mean secu-" He gasps. "Wait. You don't think he was the one who… who…"

I press my lips into a grim line. "How else did he make it back there so fast? The van is still here."

"Oh my god," he moans.

"Armin."

He takes a shaky breath. "He's in the waiting room."

"If he tries to leave, lock down the elevator."

"...Understood."

"I have to finish with things here, but I'll be back as soon as I can be."

"Hurry, ok?"

"Yeah."

When I arrive back at the base, I go straight to the central command room. I pause for a moment outside the door to collect myself, and go in. Armin is sitting curled up in his chair. A look of relief washed over his face when he sees me.

"What's Levi's condition?" I ask.

"He just got out of surgery. Hange thinks he's going to be ok."

"And Eren?"

"He's in their room. Hange just went to tell him." He's silent for a moment, and then he looks up at me with wide tearful eyes. "A-are you going to kill him?"

I sigh. "I guess I'll leave that up to Levi." His face twists, but he nods. I put a hand gently on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry it came to this Armin."

"Eren kept saying how hard it was, but I didn't think he'd ever really…"

"I know. He's your friend, of course you had faith in him."

He sniffs. "What about the rest of the squad? Are they really all…?"

"Dead? Yes, I'm afraid so."

His face drops. "I'm never going to get used to this."

"I know. I'm sorry."

I stand there for a while offering what comfort I can before I have to return to my work.

* * *

_Levi_

I wake up in a bed in the medical room. I grimace. My head is pounding and my side aches. I pull myself halfway into a sitting position, but pretty quickly realize I'm in no condition to move around. Hange's sitting next to me looking over some papers.

"The hell am I doing here?" I ask.

She looks up with a concerned expression. "Don't you remember?"

"Uh, we were on a mission, and then…" A sinking feeling comes over my chest. I drop my head, pushing down the grief that threatens to consume me. "Everyone's dead, aren't they."

She nods sadly. "Everyone but Eren."

I give a hollow laugh that turns into a wince as another jolt of pain runs through my side. "Yeah. Eren. Did he tell you what happened?"

"No, but I can guess. The wound on your neck is from him, right?"

My grip on my sheets tightens. "Yeah. I got shot and there was no stopping him after that."

"I'm so sorry Levi. I know you two were just getting close."

"He's a vampire. I was an idiot for ever trusting him. How am I even alive? I've seen people bitten by vampires, they bleed out in minutes."

"He completely missed any major arteries. Beyond that, vampire bites heal pretty quickly- it's on my list of things to research but I suspect it has something to do with their saliva. The other wound is more serious. It'll be awhile before you're going on any more missions. But the real reason you survived is because Eren carried you back here. If he hadn't, the bullet wound would have killed you."

I process this in silence for a few moments. Eren may have saved me, but it doesn't change the fact that he almost killed me first. "How long have I been asleep, anyway?" I ask.

"Nearly two days."

"Where's Eren?"

"Locked up in the lab. He's…" she hesitates. "He's not doing so well."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You should see for yourself. It's hard to explain; we've never seen anything like it."

* * *

It takes me a few days before I'm ready to see him, but occasionally I think I hear faint screams coming from the lab next door. Hange's lab assistants seem pretty shaken up as well. I guess when she said he wasn't doing so well, she meant it.

I grit my teeth as I remember his teeth sinking into my skin. That feeling of helplessness. How could he do that to me?

I move myself to a wheelchair and despite my protesting that I  _don't need help_ , Hange wheels me into the lab next door. She takes me over to a large screen and flips it on. The monitor lights up with an image of him lying on a cot in the corner and writhing around in anguish, clutching his sides like he's falling apart. He opens his mouth and I can hear the scream through the wall.

I stare at him with a grim expression. "What's wrong with him?"

"After drinking your blood, his body started craving what he'd been depriving himself of even more intensely. He said the first two weeks after changing were rough, I think it was a huge understatement."

"You mean he's had to deal with this before?"

"I can't be sure, but I suspect so." As I continue to watch him suffer my remaining anger fades to an empty sadness.

Hange grabs a bottle of blood and slides it through a hatch in the door.

Eren is up in a second. He grabs it, ignoring the cap and sinking his fangs directly into the plastic. His face relaxes for a moment as he drains the contents. Then he crushes it in his hand and tosses it to the side. When he goes back to the bed he's calmer, but only for a minute. Pretty soon he starts thrashing around and the screams pick back up. I watch his face contort with agony with a sick feeling in my chest.

"Can't you sedate him or something?"

"Whatever his body's dealing with, I don't want to add drugs to the mix. I can't get close enough for a blood sample either so I wouldn't know what to give him. All we can do is wait."

"How long will this last?"

"Well, it's already been five days so nine more? Maybe ten?" I shudder. "Do you want to try to talk to him?" I shake my head. I'm not ready to deal with that. Not right now. I can't forgive him so easily.

* * *

Later in the day, Erwin shows up at the medical room. "Levi, how are you doing?"

"Better I guess. I went to see Eren earlier."

He raises his eyebrows and comes to sit next to the bed. "And?"

I look at him with an unreadable expression. "What are you going to do with him?"

He shrugs. "The easiest course of action would be to kill him, but I'll leave it up to you. You're the one he attacked."

"What happens if I let him live?"

"That'll be up to you as well. We could just leave him where he is I suppose. Whatever you chose to do, he can't hurt anyone as long as he's locked in the cell. You can take as much time as you need to decide."

I nod, and Erwin gets up to leave.

Eren's proven that he's dangerous. I can't deny that. Keeping him alive is probably the wrong call, but I don't want him dead, especially after I got shot to _save_ him. I don't want to leave him locked up either. I sigh and sink down into my bed. What am I supposed to do?


	15. Chapter 15

_Levi_

I haven't been back to see Eren, but Hange fills me in on his condition. His symptoms gradually start to recede after another week. First the screaming stops, and then he starts to sleep a bit more soundly. On day fourteen, he starts opening bottles like a human again. But I'm not ready to see him. It'll be a while longer before I can fight again, and until then there's no way we could even consider letting him out.

I pass the time doing research. I shared a room with Eren for over two months, but I don't know much about him. What I find really isn't all that surprising. There are a couple fights on his school records, but it looks like he was mostly trying to defend Armin. He's a good kid with a strong sense of justice. He didn't deserve any of this. I stare at a picture of him smiling with his high school lacrosse team.

Then I get into the stuff about the day his mom died and his father disappeared. I cross reference it with our own records on vampire related incidents. Unsurprisingly there's a lot about Grisha Jaeger. The man who worked as our head scientist for many years. Of course, that was before I worked here- before any of us, except maybe Hannes.

He rushed out of work a couple hours early holding onto a bunch of his research material. His wife died three hours later. The only witness was their twelve year old son who called 911 in tears, rambling about vampires. I look at the conclusions drawn by our investigators and breathe out a long sigh. The kid's been through a lot.

I can't do it. I can't kill him. Besides, he could still be valuable to us. He's put so much into trying to beat this, is one slip up really it for him?

In another two weeks, I'm healed enough to go see him. In the lab, Hange brings me over to the video screen. He's lying on his bed with a miserable expression. She switches on the microphone. "Hey Eren. How're you doing?"

His voice comes out tired and worn. "If you're not going to kill me than just go away." He turns away, looking dejected. My heart squeezes. I don't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it.

"Levi's here." He freezes and back at the camera.

"Hey brat," I say. "You don't look so good."

Eren's eyes widen and turn red. "Levi," he gasps. Then he shakes his head and his eyes go back to green. "Sorry."

"My blood was that good, huh?"

He looks down and drops his face into his hands. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to... " he trails off, his expression one of pure suffering.

"So can I let you out, or are you going to go straight for my neck again?"

He looks horrified. "Are you kidding? You have to kill me!"

"I didn't think you would give up so easily."

He stands up and glares at the camera. "It's not  _giving up._  It's doing what's best for everyone."

"Are you just going to let your father go?"

Pain flashes through his eyes. "That's not the point."

"It is the point."

For a moment I think he's considering it, but then he shakes his head and sinks back down onto the cot. "I don't deserve to be let out of here. Not after everything I've done. I don't even deserve to be alive."

I click my tongue. "Well you are, might as well make the most of it. We're pulling you off missions until we find a better solution to your urges, so you don't have to worry about this happening again."

"What if you get cut or something? I won't be able to control myself."

I purse my lips. "Without a bullet in me I can take you no problem. Plus, Hange says your vampire strength is back down to animal blood levels-  _below_  that even." He still looks unsure. I sigh. "Hange, open the door. We're going with plan B."

She grins. "I was hoping it would come to this. I'll get some great data!" She rushes over to type the passcode into the lock, and the door slides open.

Eren's eye widen. "Levi what are you doing! You can't come in here, I don't know what I'll do!"

"That's the point." I step through the doorway. Eren cowers in the corner of his cot, looking terrified. I take slow steps forward until I'm standing right in front of him. "How are you doing. Want to bite me yet?"

His eyes flash. "Obviously."

"But you can control yourself." He's silent for a moment, but then he nods. "That's good. Ok… how about now?" I flick out my pocket knife out and cut a thin line across my palm, letting the blood drip over my hand.

Eren's eyes turn red and he rushes me instantly with his fangs bared. There's nothing but raw hunger in his eyes.

I slip out of his reach, catching his arm behind his back and pushing him to the floor. I hold him down tightly. At first he thrashes around, snarling, but gradually he settles. His eyes stay red, but he starts to look a little more human.

"Are you good now?" I ask.

He blinks for a moment, then his face twists in anguish. "No! Why did you do that? This just proves my point. I can't control myself!"

"But  _I_  can control  _you_. Easily in fact, especially when all you're thinking about is getting to my neck. And remember that my wound isn't even finished healing yet. From now on I'll be there anytime you slip up, alright? And if I get hurt on a mission, you won't be around to see it. Are you saying you can't trust me to defend myself?"

He mulls this over a bit and then relaxes some. "No. I believe you."

I take a step back and Hange tosses Eren a bottle of blood. He takes it gratefully and drains the contents. His eyes go back to their usual green. Then he cautiously follows me out of the cell. Hange waves goodbye and tells Eren he's welcome back anytime he almost kills someone. I roll my eyes.

Eren hangs back when we reach the room. "Maybe I should sleep chained up or something."

"It's  _fine,_  I can take care of myself. And  _you_  are almost impossible to wake up once you're out."

He still looks unsure, but he follows me in. He sinks down onto his bed and gives me a sad look. "Why do you bother? I can't possibly be worth all the trouble you're going to. You're gonna be forced to watch me twenty four hours a day again, right? That must be exhausting."

"Of course it's a pain, but I'm not being forced. Giving you a second chance was my choice."

"I thought you didn't like me."

I breathe out a sigh and ruffle his hair. "Right now you're all I've got left."

"Thanks Levi. For everything."

"Yeah, sure kid. Now it's time for bed, get changed and go to sleep. Oh, and  _shower_. You haven't done that in a month, right? That's fucking disgusting." He heads for the bathroom with a small smile.

* * *

_Eren_

A couple days later, Levi wakes me up for my checkup with Hange mid afternoon. I've been asleep all day, but it still feels like my arms and legs are being weighed down with lead.

Levi hands me a bottle of blood. "You doing any better?"

I sigh and shake my head. "Why don't you guys just lock me up for a couple months until I get my control back?"

"Isolating yourself would probably slow down the process, you know that. Plus, Hange says she's got an idea for how to get you back under control."

I straighten up. "Really?"

"Yeah. She says it'll make you feel better too, so let's get moving."

"Alright, hold on." I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand up slowly, teetering a bit. I've been feeling more and more unsteady ever since Levi's blood left my system.

Levi cautiously puts out a cautious hand to steady me. "Are you alright?" he asks.

I pull back, reluctant to have him so close to me. I don't know if it's because I drank his blood, or because of my feelings for him, but he's been smelling more tempting by the day. "Let's go."

Levi drops me off, and Hange runs through the same tests she's been doing daily since I left the cell. She starts by drawing a vial of blood, and then runs me through a full body MRI. Finally she cuts a thin line across the inside of my arm with a scalpel.

"You know, I think I'm going to have to stop doing this," she says as the wound stubbornly refuses to heal. I stare at it blankly. I guess this is what I deserve. Eventually she gives up and wraps a bandage around around it.

Levi comes back about an hour later. He eyes my arm with an unreadable expression. "How's he doing?"

Hange sighs and shakes her head. "No better. His system just can't keep coping with the lack of blood."

A sour expression crosses his face. "What, so you're just going to let him die?

"Of course not, I told you I have an idea. It just comes down to whether or not Eren will accept it."

I stare at the floor. All of this is pointless. I might never get myself back under control. They're wasting their time. "You should just let me die."

Levi sighs. "What does he need to do?"

Hange presses her lips together. "He needs to start drinking human blood."

I stare at her. "Are you  _crazy_? No way!"

"Just a little bit at a time, mixed into what you usually drink, but it should help."

"Won't I end up like I did before?"

"It'll only be a tiny bit, and spaced out so it shouldn't shock your system. This won't be the same."

"What if it makes my hunger worse?"

"Then we'll handle it. And it should eventually do the opposite. Once you're not starving yourself, you won't be hungry all the time." She walks over to the fridge.

I shake my head. "I'm not doing it."

She pauses. "It won't just keep you alive. It will make you stronger."

"I don't care how strong I am, and that would just make me even more dangerous." I don't want to hurt people. Why can't they just accept that and move on?

"If you were stronger, Levi might not have gotten hurt." Pain tightens my chest, but this can't be the answer. Drinking human blood is wrong; I'd rather die. "I've still got blood left over from when we kept the prisoners," she continues. "It'll just be a drop or two at a time. You can have some of mine if you don't want to drink the stuff people donated."

"No way."

She looks pained. "If you don't, you're going to die."

"No."

Her face falls, but she nods. "I'll just have to think of something else then."

She pulls Levi to the side, and it's a show of just how badly I'm doing that I can't hear a word they're saying. When Levi comes back he seems to be brooding about something.

"What'd she say?"

"Don't worry about it. Let's just get back to the room."

* * *

A week later I sit on the edge of my bed trying to get my head to stop spinning enough to stand up. Every part of my body aches like it's being torn apart from the inside out. I can tell I don't have much longer. A cough wracks my body and I cover my mouth. When I move my hand, there's a streak of crimson across my palm.

Levi looks up from his desk with an unreadable expression. "Coughing blood?" I look away, not answering. "Hange said it would probably start soon. Your ability to keep a dead body in working order is going down the drain. Go wash your hands."

I wait a moment longer to try to steady myself, and then push upright. I stumble and Levi catches me. He helps me to the bathroom in silence, and when my hands are clean he helps me back to my bed.

He stares at me for a while in silence, before a determined look crosses his face. He goes over to the fridge, and pulls out one of my bottles of animal blood.

"What're you-" He shushes me and unscrews the lid, setting it down on the desk. Then he pulls out his pocket knife and my eyes widen. I scoot farther onto my bed. "You can't be serious."

"Deadly." He pricks his finger.

The smell hits me hard, and desire courses through every part of me. My voice trembles. "Levi please don't do this. I'll end up attacking you."

"As if you could do any damage to me in your state. Or any state for that matter." He lets a couple drops fall into the bottle and then wipes his finger with a tissue.

"I'm not drinking that," I say weakly.

He gives me a hard look. "You have two options. Either you do this willingly, or I tie you up and force it down your throat." He drops the tissue into the trash can and brings the bottle towards me.

"You can't-" He keeps walking until he's standing right by my bed. He reaches over and holds the bottle in front of my nose, then waits with a sober expression. I squeeze my eyes shut. Fuck, I can't believe he'd go this far.

He sighs and flicks my forehead. "You're such an idiot. What did I tell you about dying for nothing?"

I open my eyes and glare at him. "This is not nothing."

"No one benefits from you dying. In fact, if we can get you under control  _and_  at full strength, you'd be one of our greatest assets. Drink the damn blood." His expression clouds. "I'm done watching you waste away."

I stare at the crimson liquid in front of me, my control rapidly slipping. I can smell Levi's blood mixed into the rest and it's so tempting. I reach one shaking hand up and take hold of the bottle. Levi guides it to my lips without letting go.

"Just drink it."

And I do. I gulp the liquid down. It still tastes mostly awful, but with just a hint of that wonderful, familiar flavor of Levi's blood. I drain the entire bottle without stopping, then pull back. I stare at Levi's neck with red eyes. There's so much more just beneath his skin. But I can't give in. I clench my hands into fists and force myself to look away.

Levi watches me warily as he sets the empty bottle aside. "Are you alright? You're not going to attack me, are you?"

I take a deep breath. "I'm fine."

"Feel any better?"

I glare at him. "All I  _feel_  is hunger." I sigh and drop my head. "You're really won't give this up?"

"No. It's my blood. I can decide what I want to do with it."

"You should just let me die."

He shakes his head. "Not going to happen. Now, I think it's best if you keep the fact that you're drinking human blood a secret from everyone else. I doubt people would react well."

"Yeah. Enough of them hate me as it is."

"Just so you know, that includes Armin and the," he hesitates for a moment, "New recruits."

"Since when do we have new recruits?"

"They'll be here at the end of the week. I'm hoping by then you'll have yourself well enough under control to help with their training."

I blink at him. "You want  _my_ help?"

He nods. "Your technical knowledge is still a little lacking, but you have real experience. I'd also like to give them a chance to go up against an actual vampire before facing one in the field."

"Right now I don't think I'd be able to help much."

"I know. So keep drinking, and get better."


	16. Chapter 16

_Eren_

On the day the new recruits are due to arrive, I'm feeling a lot better. Hange says my body is healing well, and my control is coming back. People aren't nearly as tempting as they were before- well, most people. Levi is the one glaring exception. I can resist taking a bite, but whenever I'm next to him I can hardly focus on anything else. And I'm next to him a lot. I share a  _room_  with him.

At least I'm well enough to help with the new recruits. It'll be nice to have more people around. I miss Petra and the others. It's been lonely without them.

Levi leads me to a large, wide open room on the day they're due to arrive. I walk a few steps back, trying not to think about how good he smells. It looks like the entire Survey Corps is gathered here. I get more than a few dirty looks. Rumors of me attacking Levi spread quickly- even though it's supposed to be classified. Erwin stands at the front of the room alongside a group of new people. As I look them over, my stomach drops. There's one face I recognize. Her eyes meet mine and she gives me a small smile. I turn to Levi with a snarl on my lips.

He holds up his hand. "Just wait until this is over, then you can say what you want."

"You bet I will."

Erwin clears his throat. "Welcome everyone. We're here to introduce some new recruits. Most of them are fresh out of training." He smiles pleasantly. I clench my hands so tight blood drips down my palms.

"First off I'd like to introduce Armin's new assistant, Marco," Erwin continues. He points to a shy looking boy with dark hair and freckles who smiles warmly around the room.

Erwin points out the next group. "These people will form a new squad lead by Hange. Hers will be a bit unconventional in their methods, but we expect great things from them all the same. The new members will be Historia, Ymir, and Sasha, along with Moblit, who you all already know." I notice Hange standing near the front with a huge smile on her face, eyes filled with excitement. I shudder just a little, wondering what sort of "unconventional methods" he's talking about.

Erwin goes through a couple other groups of new faces, and then turns to the last group. "And now, I'll introduce the new additions to Squad Levi: Annie, Connie, Jean, and Mikasa. I barely hold back a snarl. I've seen enough of my friends traumatized or dead, and now my sister too? I turn to see Levi watching me warily.

"Shall we talk about this somewhere else?" he asks.

I nod and follow him to a room next to the assembly hall. As soon as the door closes, I round on him. "What the fuck is Mikasa doing here?"

"She's a promising soldier."

"She could end up dead!"

"According to Erwin, Mikasa is one of the best recruits we've seen in a while."

"And where are these other promising recruits?"

"Not all of them are dead."

"But not all of them are alive either." He doesn't answer. I grit my teeth. "Did you tell her what I am?"

"No, just that you were here. We figured you'd want to do that yourself."

I glare at him. "Why didn't you tell me she was coming?"

He sighs. "Mostly because we knew you'd react like this."

I drop into a chair. "She's going to be so mad at me for not contacting her."

"It's not your fault you were turned into a vampires. The sooner you tell her the less likely she is to hear it from someone else."

"Yeah." I run a hand through my hair and then glare at him again.

We head back into the assembly hall and find Mikasa amidst the rest of the recruits. She rushes over and throws her arms around me in a tight hug.

I go stone still. "Please let go of me."

She clings tighter. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Mikasa-" Levi puts a hand on her shoulder and she steps back. I breathe a sigh of relief. She looks at me with tears in her eyes.

"You're… not mad at me for disappearing?" I ask cautiously.

She gives a laugh that's half a sob. "I'm sure I'll be furious later, but right now I'm just glad you're alright. What are you doing here? They wouldn't tell me anything. What on earth did you get yourself involved in?"

I grimace. "I'll tell you everything, but we should go somewhere more private," I say, noticing for the first time the curious stares being directed our way.

We go back to the other room and Mikasa eyes Levi. "Why's he here?"

I hesitate. "We'll get to that."

She gives him an annoyed look look, but nods and turns her attention back to me. "What's going on?"

"What did Armin tell you?"

"Just that you were all right, and you needed to work through some things. What does that have to do with joining the army?"

"Unfortunately, too much." I take a deep breath and steel my resolve. She's going to find out one way or another. "I'm a vampire."

Her eyes widen. " _What?_ " I show her my fangs and the color slowly drains from her face. "You can't be."

"I wish things were different."

She covers her mouth with her hand. "How?"

"My dad."

"He's… a vampire too?" I nod. Her face crumples. "I'm so sorry I left you on your own. If I'd been there-"

"If you'd been there, we'd both be vampires, or worse you'd be dead and it'd be my fault."

She purses her lips, her face scrunching in pain, then she breathes out a long sigh. She looks back up and her eyes come to fall on Levi. "So is that why he's here?"

"Yeah. I'm not allowed alone with people, and for good reason." I hesitate. "I'm dangerous now. So please be careful. No more hugs, ok?"

She nods. "Yeah. Sorry."

* * *

_Levi_

The next day, Hange and I gather together our new members for our first training session. Eren and Moblit are here too, sitting off to the side. I make eye contact with Eren, and he scowls and looks away. He's still mad about Mikasa.

I watch the recruits enter the practice room with mixed feelings. I can't say I'm very optimistic, although I like the look in Mikasa's eyes. Annie's too.

I tense. One of them, Sasha I think, is trailing crumbs from a chip bag stuffed into her back pocket. I fix her with a scathing glare. She looks up at me nervously and I point at the floor behind her.

Her eyes widen when she notices the mess. "Sorry," she squeaks.

I grit my teeth. "Broom closet right across the hall. Get a dustpan, clean that up, and if I ever see a single crumb again you'll be running laps for a month." She shrinks back and scurries towards the door. I look at the floor and grimace.

The rest of the recruits are forming a straight line on the mats in front of us. I wait until I can see Sasha back in the room before turning to face them. "I'm Levi, and this is Hange. As you know, we are your squad leaders." I gesture to the two others on the side. "This is Moblit, an experienced member who's also joining Hange's squad and this is Eren, the other member of my squad. He's a vampire, but don't worry, he only drinks animal blood." Eren gives an awkward wave. Their eyes widen, but for the most part they stare at him with curiosity. Most of them have never seen a vampire before, so it's probably not that strange for them to believe that there could be good ones. It doesn't look like that's true for all of them though.

Jean gives Eren a cold glare. "What the hell is a vampire doing here? Aren't they supposed to be our enemy?"

I sigh. "Eren is a valuable member of our team. He probably hates vampires just as much as you do."

"I've heard rumors he attacked someone."

I give him a sharp look. "Those rumors are false. Speak out of turn again and I'll send you to help Sasha."

He sniffs and goes back to glaring at Eren. Eren glares back just as hard. I sigh. Erwin just  _had_  to stick me with the hotheaded one, didn't he.

I turn back to the recruits. "To start out, we're going to take a look at your skill levels. You'll be going up against me or Hange, and then we'll talk more about how to actually fight against vampires."

Mikasa comes up to me first, a dark look on her face. I get the sense that she really doesn't like me much. I guess it's no surprise. She probably sees me as her brother's jailor. She falls into a stance, and I can tell already she knows what she's doing.

I let her throw the first couple punches to get a sense of what she can handle. Her movements are graceful and fluid, and her hits sharp and precise. She can't touch me of course, but I'm impressed. Erwin wasn't exaggerating.

I switch to the offensive, starting with a fast punch at her left side. She dodges, spins, and counters with a punch of her own. I slide out of the way and throw a kick. Again, she dodges and counters.

Her defense is strong, but her style relies too much on offense. She's got a ways to go before she's ready to fight a vampire. I dodge her next punch and send her to the mat. She stand up and stalks off, gritting her teeth in frustration. I sigh. Looks like she's going to be a handful as well.

Next I call over Jean, who's looking dangerously close to starting something with Eren. Jean's style reminds me a lot of Eren when he first started, although he's got a better sense of the basics thanks to his training. Connie isn't bad either.

I go up against Annie last. She falls into an unusual stance, but I can tell immediately that she's had extensive training. She watches me closely, waiting for me to make to first move. I aim a careful punch, and she immediately deflects it, like she's used to fighting people stronger than her. I guess that's not too unusual, I used to fight that way as well. I still do, although my technique has changed.

I throw another punch and this time she dodges and follows with a punch and a vicious kick. I draw the match out, trying to get a good read on her. There's something off about her fighting. Like she's holding back. It might just be laziness, but I'll have to keep an eye on her. Finally, I decide that's enough and flip her to the mat. She goes down easily.

I step back and offer her a hand up. She eyes it for a moment, but takes it, and goes to stand with everyone else. They're all crowded together watching Hange fight Sasha. I have to admit, it's a sight to see. Sasha combines the skills she learned in basic training with a ridiculously erratic fighting style. I can't predict what she's going to do until she's doing it. Hange cackles as she dodges and throws blows of her own, clearly having the time of her life. It's been a while since I've seen her fight but she clearly hasn't lost her edge.

Hange finally has enough and catches Sasha in firm hold with her arm behind her back. When she lets go and steps back, Sasha looks at her with eyes shining with admiration. That's going to go straight to her head. Why did we think giving her a squad was a good idea?

I look back at the observers. All in all, not a bad crop. Maybe the future of squad Levi isn't so bleak.


	17. Chapter 17

_ Levi _

I'm pleasantly surprised at how well Eren takes to helping me teach. He tackles it with the same sort of determination with which he does everything else. The recruits make good progress, and It doesn't take long before I start thinking about bringing them on their first mission.

Eren and I arrive at our practice room early in the morning. My recruits, along with Hange's, are mostly already here, warming up and practicing. Eren immediately goes over and starts giving pointers. With the exception of Jean, most of them seem happy to see him. 

Hange arrives a couple minutes late, and I call everyone over. "Today we’re going to give you all some more practical experience,” I say. “Each of our teams will be going on their first missions soon, and we need to be as ready as possible." There are mixed reactions to this news, from nervousness to excitement, but they all look determined.

"We're going to have you go up against Eren. He's been instructed to fight like a typical vampire, one with no training, and he's not going to pull his punches. He isn’t at full power due to the animal blood, but he still hits a lot harder than any of the rest of us. One wrong move and you might end up with a broken bone. That's all. Form a line and let's get started."

Jean goes first, no surprise there. He stalks up with an dark expression and drops into a fighting stance. Eren’s eyes narrow. I just hope they both remember the point of the exercise.

Eren goes after him with a vicious determination, but Jean’s learned well and he dodges out of the way every time. He slips behind him and gives him a sharp shove. Eren clenches his jaw, but lets himself get taken down. He glances up at me and I nod in approval. He scowls back, and then stands back up and gets ready for his next opponent.

Jean aside, he doesn’t seem to mind being used as a punching bag, and fights  with all his strength and none of his technique. The recruits don’t pull their punches either. I’m glad they’re all taking it seriously. The last one to step forward is Mikasa. She fidgets with her scarf, looking uncertain.

I sigh. “I know he’s your brother, but don’t hold back.”

“What if I hurt him?”

“Then you’re doing your job.” 

She glares at me. “That’s not-”

“Don’t worry Mikasa,” Eren interrupts. “Even a broken bone only takes a couple minutes to heal. I’ll be fine.” He gives her a teasing grin. “If you don’t go all out, you’re missing the point of the exercise.” She sighs and nods. 

I guess she decided it was best not to draw the fight out, because she’s behind him in a second, flipping him easily. He would probably have trouble beating her even if he was going all out.

Eren grins up at her from the floor. “Nice job.”

She draws her eyebrows together. “Are you alright?”

“I’m perfectly fine.” He hops back up, stretching his arms up above his head. Her face relaxes and she walks back to the edge of the mat. As soon as she turns around, Eren winces and rubs his back. I shake my head.

I survey the group with satisfaction. All of them did decently well. Whether that'll hold up in the face of the enemy is another story altogether, but at least they're not cannon fodder. They're ready. 

_ Eren _

In the face of the upcoming mission, Levi brings me to the lab so Hange can give me a final check up. She runs the usual MRI and blood tests, and then smiles with satisfaction as the cut on my arm heals up nicely in about a minute. "It looks like you're going to be just fine.” She pauses, smiling. “ _ But _ we'll have to do one more test before you're cleared to go out again.” She starts to bounce up and down a bit. “We're going to need to see how you do around some blood. Do you think you can handle that?" I nod. She grins wickedly. "Ok Levi, get ready to restrain him if necessary!"

She hops over to the fridge and pulls out a blood bag. She sticks in a syringe, draws some out, and empties it into a cup, then looks at me with an expression brimming with excitement. "This'll be an excellent follow up to the experiment from last time. I'm going to need to stick this in front of your face and have you smell it, ok?" I set my jaw and nod. She quickly closes the distance between us, holding out the cup.

The smell wafts into my nostrils and my hunger grows. I feel my eyes turning red, but I clench my hands and ignore the scent. It doesn't smell nearly as good as Levi's anyway.

Of course, then they do the whole thing over again with a vial of Levi's blood, just in case. This time it's harder. Hange brings the cup so close I can almost taste it. I stare down at the liquid and something besides hunger starts to stir in me. I quickly take a small breath in through my nose. I dig my nails into my palms, but hold myself back.

She moves the cup away. "You ok?"

A small smile crosses my lips. "Yeah. I think I am."

A few days later, the new squad Levi has the brief for its first mission. My chest squeezes for a moment as I look around the familiar room. The last time I was here was only hours before Petra and the others were killed.

Armin sits at the front with his laptop. He gives me a nervous look as I walk in and quickly turns his attention back to Erwin. I breathe out a sigh and sit down at the table with the other members. He’s been acting like this ever since finding out I bit Levi. He’s scared of me. Everyone who knows has been treating me with more caution. Levi seems to be trying to act like nothing happened, but he’s more careful too.

Now that we’re all here, Erwin starts to speak. “We’ve just finished verifying reports of vampire activity near the docks,” he says. “We traced it back to this boat.” Armin clicks on his laptop, and an image of a four story, luxury yacht appears on the screen behind their heads.

Jean lets out a low whistle. “That’s one hell of a boat.”

Erwin gives him a stern look and goes back to the brief. “Upon investigation, the person who owns it has been missing for some time. We suspect there are a total of four vampires on board. The following pictures are from our surveillance team .” Armin pulls up ca mera shots of four intimidating looking men on their way into the ship. “However, we are unable to get eyes inside, so there could be more.” Everyone nods. 

“We can tell you they’ll most likely be on one of the two underwater decks. We haven’t seen any activity on the ones above ground. Once you go in, your escape options will be limited. It’s not an ideal first mission, but none of the other squads are in any better shape. That being said, all of you show incredible promise, and I have faith you will be successful.” He smiles a charming smile and the other members seem to relax a bit.

The brief draws to a close, and I walk over to Armin. I miss having my best friend around. If I can just talk to him some, maybe… He closes his laptop in a hurry, not meeting my eyes.

“Armin-” He rushes from the room. My heart sinks. 

Mikasa comes up to me with a hopeful look on her face. “Do you want to come to the cafeteria and sit with us?”

I watch Armin’s retreating back. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

She sighs. “If you just tell me what happened, maybe I can help.”

I shake my head. If she knew, she’d be treating me the same way. “This is something we’re going to have to work out on our own.”

“Alright. Are you sure you won’t change your mind?” I nod, and she leaves. I watch everyone head out with a heavy heart. I do want to join them, but I don’t belong there.

Levi comes up to me with an unreadable expression. “Things still not going so well with you and the blond kid?” 

I shake my head. “I doubt he’s going to get over this.”

He watches me for a moment, then sighs. “Come on. I’m eating back in the room today.”

I give him a small smile, and we go first to the cafeteria, and then back to his room.

Levi unlocks the fridge and pulls out my bottle of blood and a vial of his own. I tense as the smell wafts through the room. It’s getting harder and harder to control myself. But in an entirely new way. The smell of his blood is making it impossible to ignore my attraction to  _ him _ . We've been working up the quantity slowly, and the more I drink, the worse it gets. 

Levi hands me the bottle, and somehow I manage to cut myself off halfway. I'll save the rest for- scratch that I'm drinking it all now. I dump the rest down my throat and go back to staring at him. He stares right back, eyes narrowed and full of caution. I probably look like I'm on the verge of attacking him. Well, I  _ am _ , just not in the way he thinks. I shake myself out of my trance.  

When I move my eyes away, Levi relaxes and starts on his food. I plop down on my bed. I have to stop making him uncomfortable and find some way of dealing with this. I need to pull myself together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finished posting everything I've already written, so from now on I'll only be putting out chapters on Fridays. I hope you're enjoying the story! Keep reading and commenting!


	18. Chapter 18

_ Eren _

As the sun starts to rise, I make my way down the dock with the rest of squad Levi. We're all wearing normal clothes, our guns concealed in purses and backpacks. Even in these early hours, the sunlight hurts my eyes and prickles my skin. We walk as casually as possible, praying the vampires aren't keeping a close watch.

The dock is lined with expensive looking ships, but the one we're headed towards is by far the largest and nicest, with four decks towering over the water. We stop in the shadow of the boat and take out our guns.

We walk up the gangway quietly, Levi in the front, me behind him, and the new members bringing up the rear. Everything above ground looks to be deserted- too many windows for a vampire to be comfortable. 

Levi picks the lock on the main door, and we slip inside as quietly as we can. "Guns ready. Follow me," he whispers.

The door leads into a huge dining room. Glass chandeliers send rays of light scattering across the fancy tabletops. We head for the stairs at the other end of the room and sneak our way down. They opens onto a hallway. 

Levi peers through the windows on a huge set of double doors and turns back to us. "Vampires. Maybe a dozen. Let me and Eren take most of them. You all focus on not dying. Try to stay together. This is what we've been training for." Everyone nods. "On the count of three. One, two-" He throws open the door.

The vampires are in a large seating area, mostly lounging on the couches. When they see us they jump up, looks of boredom replaced with cruel excitement.

Levi and I rush forward first, but the vampires dart past us, heading straight for the newer members. Levi swears and grabs one of them on his way by, shooting him in the head.

I turn around and chase after them. Ahead of me, Mikasa puts a bullet in one and starts going after a second, but everyone else looks like they're struggling. Jean and Connie each have two coming at them at once- too much for them to handle. And Annie… A vampire grabs her from behind, pinning her arms behind her back. She struggles violently, but it holds her fast. 

Anger pools in my gut as one of them finally turns to face me. I knock him off his feet with a couple well timed blows. As I fight, two vampires grab Connie and Jean, and the rest surround Mikasa. I shoot the one I'm facing and rush forward, but in a moment they grab her as well. I snarl.

One of the vampires claps loudly. "Alright. Stop right there or we'll rip their throats out." Levi and I both freeze. "Put down your guns." Levi looks around the room with a sour expression and swears. He lowers his gun to the floor.

My grip on my gun tightens. "What the hell do you want?" I ask.

He smiles gleefully. "You. Well, it's your dad who wants you. We just want a promotion."

I narrow my eyes and then glance over at Levi. "I thought this mission was supposed to have nothing to do with my dad."

Levi’s expression darkens. “So did I.”

The vampire snorts. "In this city? You think there's  _ anyone _ who doesn't know Grisha? Hand yourself over and we'll let your friends go."

Mikasa glares at me. "Don't you dare even think about it Eren." The vampire holding her hits her in the gut, and she collapses into a fit of coughing. 

I point my gun at him with a low growl. “Get your hands off her.”

"Give yourself up and we will," says the vampire.

I readjust my grip on my gun. "How do I know you're not lying?"

He pauses for a moment and then gestures to the other vampires. "Let the two girls go."

The ones holding Mikasa and Annie take their guns and step back. Annie starts to slip towards the door, but Mikasa doesn't move.

Levi purses his lips. "Get out of here. Tell Erwin what's going on."

I watch them leave, still suspicious. "How do I know there's no one up there waiting?"

The vampire shrugs. "Go ahead and call them."

I hold my gun steady and with the other hand, I pull out my phone and click on Mikasa's name. The room is silent as the phone rings. Finally, she picks up. "Are you two ok?" I ask.

"So far, but we're not off the ship yet," she says in a clipped tone.

“Tell me when you're safe."

"Eren, you can't give yourself up."

I take a long look at Levi, who’s staring between the vampires holding Connie and Jean with a calculating gaze. "I’ll do what I need to."

She sighs but doesn’t say anything else. No one moves a muscle as several slow minutes tick by. "Alright. We're back at the boat house. I think we're safe. Please don't do anything stupid, ok?" I hang up.

I eye the vampires warily. "You'll let the rest of them go too?" They nod. I look over at Levi one more time. He's still standing with a furious expression on his face, but he makes no move to stop me. If this means that Levi can go, I'll do what they say. I set down my gun.

"Very good." They drop Connie and Jean, and a couple more step towards me. They take a firm hold of me from either side.  

That’s when Levi makes his move, dropping to pick his gun up off the floor, but the vampires are already on top of him. They grab his arms and wrestle the gun from his grip. 

I snarl and start to struggle. "Don’t touch him!"

"Sorry, but this one has to stay."

"That wasn't part of the deal.”

Instead of an answer, I get a sharp punch in the gut, hard enough to crack several of my ribs. 

Connie and Jean stand by the open door with wide eyes, looking lost.

"Go. That’s an order," Levi says. "We'll be fine."

When they’re safely out of the room, I start struggling again. "Let Levi go you bastards!"

The vampire sighs. "I should have known you'd be a pain in the ass no matter what we did. Shoot him with the drug, and knock the other one out. We'll lock them both up until Grisha can come get them."

The last thing I see is a fist coming down on Levi’s head, and then I feel a sharp prick in my neck. Everything goes dark.

_ Levi _

I open my eyes to stiff limbs and a throbbing headache. My hands are cuffed behind my back. I pull at the bonds, but they're secure. I push myself up into a sitting position against the wall. The best I can tell, I'm in a small room, but there's no light. No windows either. The rhythmic rocking tells me we're still on the ship, and the rumbling in the floor tells me we're moving. Fuck.

In the dark, I can faintly see a figure lying next to me, still unconscious. “Eren,” I hiss. “Eren!” 

He groans and starts to move. "Where are we?”

"Still in the ship."

His voice gets softer. "Damn it. Sorry Levi, I thought… I thought they'd let you go."

"Don't worry about it. I knew my chances were slim, but now at least we can escape together.”

“How are we supposed to do that?"

I grit my teeth. "I’m sorry but the best way I can think of is for you to break your hands and slip the cuffs."

"...Alright, I'll give it a try." He tenses. He shifts position and strains again. A couple minutes tick by in silence, then he swears. "Whatever drug they put in me is still in my system. I can't do it. I’m not strong enough."

I grit my teeth. "Yeah, I was afraid of that.”

“Isn’t there anything else we can do?” 

“Yes. There’s one other thing.” I swallow and clench my fists. “You're going to have to drink some of my blood and get your strength back.”

He gasps. "Are you kidding? No way. We don’t even know if that would work.”

"At least it gives us a chance. I’m sure you’ll be fine. You've been drinking it from a bottle for over a month now. It's not that different."

"It's completely different! Besides, that was watered down. Can't we just try to make a break for it when they come back?"

"Right now you're in no shape to fight and I don’t have a gun." I snap. “You think I  _ like _ doing this?”

"I might kill you!"

I breathe out a shaky breath. "You didn't last time. Besides, if we stay here I’ll probably end up dead eventually. I’m surprised I’m even still alive." He's silent. "Just get over here and do it already, ok? We're wasting time."

"...You sure there's no other way?"

"If there was do you think I'd suggest something like this?" I try to keep my voice from shaking as I think about exactly what I’m asking him to do. The memory of last time is still fresh in my mind, ripe with that terrible feeling of helplessness.

Eren shuffles across the floor in the dark until he's right next to me. I force my expression to remain neutral, well aware that although I can’t see him, he can see me perfectly. I grit my teeth and tilt my head to the side, exposing my neck. "Do it. Make sure you stop when I tell you."

My heart beats faster as he leans towards me. I start to tremble. Last time I was powerless to stop him. This is different. I try to slow my rapid breaths. This is a necessity. 

“You alright?” Eren asks.

“Fine.” I try to make my voice sound confident, but I’m sure I’m failing miserably. "Make sure my shirt will cover it and don’t spill any. We don’t need the others questioning what happened."

He nods, and bends his head down. For a moment I feel his cold breath against my skin, and then he slowly sinks his fangs into my neck. I let out a grunt. It hurts, but it's nothing like the last time. He's being gentle as he sucks up the blood. Without the fear, the feel of his lips against my neck isn’t entirely unpleasant. A strange feeling comes over me, one that’s not panic or fear.

After a while I start to feel the first bit of lightheadedness. "Alright, that's enough."

At first I think he's going to keep going, but then he lifts his head. He stares at me for a long moment, before leaning back down. I tense, but he's just licking the stray drops. I shiver at the feeling of his tongue over my skin. He watches the wound for a moment longer. I hold my breath. If he bites me again, there’s nothing I can do. Then he pulls himself back and turns away. He presses his forehead into the wall, taking a few deep breaths.

I relax. "Feeling any better?"

After a moment, he looks up and nods. "Yeah, I think I can do it now." I hear the sound of bones snapping, and he slips one hand out of the cuffs. "Now I just need to find you the key."

I nod. "Be careful."

_ Eren _

As I turn to the door, I lick the last of Levi's blood from around my mouth and shudder. This time stopping wasn't the hard part. It's a good thing I was cuffed, or I doubt I would have been able to keep from touching him. From running my hands up his body, kissing him-

I shake my head. Focus. I pull on the door handle, and the lock snaps. The door opens and I see a vampire staring at me with a surprised look on his face "What the-" I rush at him. He punches and I start to dodge, but a wave of dizziness from the drugs washes over me. 

He catches me hard in the stomach and sends me flying into the wall. I stand up, wobbling a bit, and his foot collides into my side. I fall back down. He keeps kicking me until I'm coughing blood, and my head is spinning even more. He reaches down and lifts me up by the hair. I start to panic. I clutch at his fingers, trying to get him off me, but his grip is like iron. He sends a knee into my stomach and the air rushes out of my lungs. My arms drop to my sides. 

"Eren, you alright?" Levi calls from the room. I tense. I can't afford to lose this fight. Not after what I just put Levi through. And not when Levi’s life is at stake. 

I put all my strength into a punch to his stomach and he goes stumbling backwards. I jump forwards, knocking him to the floor. I put my hands on either side of his face and pull, watching his eyes go dark as I rip his head off. 

I grab the two keys from his pocket and unlock the cuff still around my wrist. Then I return to Levi and unlock him as well. 

"They will have heard that,” he says. “We have to hurry. Neither of us are in good shape. We need to avoid fighting if we can." I nod. 

We sneak through the hallways looking for the stairs. There’s shouting from back the way we came, and running footsteps come towards us. Levi pulls me into the nearest room and I shut the door, praying they don’t smell us. The footsteps pass, and then recede. I breathe a sigh of relief. 

“Shit," Levi says from behind me. I turn around and suck in a breath of air through my teeth. We're in a large room with rows and rows of cots lined up like gravestones. On each one is an unconscious person hooked up to an IV drip. Levi’s lips curl into a snarl. "I think we found their food source."

I walk over to the nearest one. A girl a little older than me. Her lips are chapped, and her skin is pale and sunken. Her nails are too long with a little bit of polish still on the tips. She’s wearing an engagement ring. 

My stomach turns and I feel anger welling up in me. I shouldn’t be surprised my dad would go this far. I clench my fists. "What are we going to do?"

Levi’s expression hardens and he takes a step back. "Right now? Escape and report this to Erwin. There's nothing else we can do without backup. We’ll be lucky to get out ourselves."

I grit my teeth and nod. I know it’s the right call, but it still feels wrong to leave them here. These are people with lives to get back to and loved ones searching for them.  That girl has a fiancé somewhere.

I put my ear up against the door. When I don’t hear anything, we sneak back out into the hallway. We turn one more corner and find the stairs. When we go up, there's no one out on the deck. The shore hangs in the distance, a  _ long _ ways off.

Levi makes a face and starts taking off his shoes. "We're going to have to swim." 

I nod and take off my shoes as well. We both go over to the back of the boat and I stare down at the greenish grey water. As a vampire, I probably can’t even drown but that doesn’t make the drop any less intimidating. 

“Come on,” says Levi. We both take a deep breath and jump. The cold water closes in around me and I struggle for a moment before I remember I don’t actually have to breathe. I calm down and swim back to the surface.

Levi’s already back up, treading water and waiting for me. “Let’s go,” he says.

We start off swimming in silence. Levi’s a strong swimmer, but eventually his pace starts to slow. His expression remains blank, but the set of his jaw says it’s getting harder to keep himself moving.

I offer him my arm. “Come on. This is too much for a human.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re clearly not. Suck it up and let me help you for once.” 

He glares at me, but then grudgingly nods and takes my arm. He looks away. “Thanks.” I smile and we continue to swim in silence. 

When we reach the dock, we both heave ourselves up onto the wood and walk into the boathouse. The four other members of our team are sitting on a bench in the corner.

Mikasa sees me and gasps. She runs up to me with tears in her eyes. "Eren are you ok?"

"Yeah, we’re fine. The vampires didn't hurt us."

Levi borrows Mikasa’s phone, and everyone else crowds around me, all asking questions. After a while, I see Levi walking back outside. I follow him. He goes to stand on the dock, looking out in the direction we came from. The boat is nowhere in sight. 

I walk over and stand next to him. The dull water laps up against the wood of the dock, and the sun hangs low in the sky, reflecting deep orange over the boats. "What’s bothering you?" I ask.

He sighs. "There’s no way we should have gotten out so easily. Not with how well they’d planned."

“They did drug me.”

“Exactly. They went as far as drugging you, but they didn’t chain either of us up well enough, and only left us with one guard.”

I draw my eyebrows together. "Why?"

He shakes his head. "I wish I knew."


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm so late with the chapter, I got sick and couldn't write well. But I'm better now, so here it is!

Levi

The first thing I do when we get back to the base is drag Eren to the lab. He says he's feeling fine, but who knows what was in that drug they shot him with, and I don't want to risk anything bad happening to him. We need to have Hange take a look.

Hange draws a vial of his blood and sticks it under the microscope. She stares down at it for several minutes, fiddling with the focus and pushing it around.

Finally, she steps back and looks at Eren, eyebrows drawn together. "Well… there's definitely something in you."

I grit my teeth. "What is it?"

She frowns. "I'm not sure. Whatever it is looks harmless- at least for the moment."

"What do you mean for the moment?"

"I can't imagine anything that has to do with Grisha is innocent."

Eren's face clouds. "Sorry, I-"

"It's not your fault," I snap, too harshly. He closes his mouth and drops his head. I curse myself for making him feel worse. I take a deep breath and try to calm down. "You made the right call. Everyone got out of there alive thanks to you." He nods dejectedly.

I shove a hand through my hair. I guess I'll have to keep a close eye on Eren- and make sure he stays fed. There's nothing else I can do if even Hange doesn't know what's going on. I can't wait to get my hands on Grisha.

A couple days pass, and they still can't find the yacht. If I'd been faster, the vampires never would have grabbed us in the first place, and then all of the people on that boat would be sitting warm in their homes, not wasting away in the middle of the ocean. Yet more people I couldn't save. The list just keeps growing.

Everyone's been in low spirits. Eren's been even more fixated on me than usual, but at least things haven't gotten awkward.

I walk into my room. Eren is exactly where I left him, sprawled out on his bed with his phone in his hands. He smiles at me. "Hi Levi."

"It's just about time to leave. Hurry up and get changed."

He hops up, nodding. He takes his newly ordered suit out of the closet and heads into the bathroom.

He comes out a few minutes later adjusting his tie. He shifts around, clearly uncomfortable in the fancy attire, but he has nothing to worry about. The black fabric hugs his body perfectly, and he suddenly looks a lot less like an awkward teenager. I swallow. He's almost… I shake my head. I was not just about to think he looks attractive.

He fiddles with his cufflinks. "Uh, Levi? Is it that bad?"

I pull my eyes up to his face and blink. "You, uh, look fine."

I grab my suit and head into the bathroom. I finish changing and strap my gun beneath my jacket. I take a brief pause in front of the mirror to straighten my tie and brush the wrinkles out of the fabric. With a frown, I pick a couple tiny pieces of lint off what should be perfectly dry cleaned material. When I walk out, Eren runs his eyes up and down my body, openly staring.

I shift. "What?" He blushes- that catches me off guard. I didn't know vampires could blush. And why would he be…? I shake my head. "Alright, drink your blood and let's go."

He walks over to the fridge and rummages around. I'm letting him mix it himself now- after he drank directly from me without a problem there didn't seem to be much point in doing it for him.

After a moment, Eren turns to me with an embarrassed expression. "Um… Levi, we're out of your blood."

I stare at him. "What?"

He runs a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I really thought we had a couple more vials."

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "We've got five minutes before we're supposed to be there."

"I know." His face falls. "You're not going to make me stay here are you?"

I hesitate. We don't have time to stop by the lab, and we can't be late. But I also don't want Eren skipping out on his meal, especially if that drug's still in his system. "No…" I sigh, and make a decision. I'm not entirely sure if it's the right decision, but it doesn't feel wrong either. "Just drink from my arm."

His eyes turn a deep red, and he gasps and backs up. "Don't say things like that!"

"I'm serious Eren. Besides, it doesn't hurt to get some extra strength for the mission."

"I really don't think it's a good idea," he says, eyes wide and panicked.

"You did fine a week ago." I roll up my sleeve and hold out my wrist. When he stays still I pull out my knife and prick my arm lightly with the tip. A bead of blood rises to the surface.

He shuts his eyes. "That is so not fair."

I snort. "You're gonna make us late. Hurry it up." He slowly opens his eyes, and I can tell I'm finally making some progress. "Isn't this what you want anyway? I see the way you stare at me when you're drinking from the bottle."

A faint flush crosses his cheeks. "Sorry." He looks longingly at the blood and licks his lips. "You're sure?" he says, without taking his eyes off my arm.

"Yes. Get over here."

He crosses the room and sits on the bed next to me. He gently lifts my wrist to his mouth, and looks up at me one last time. I nod for him to continue. He brings his fangs down and I grit my teeth as they sink into my skin.

The pain is sharp but brief. I breathe in and out, watching him suck my blood. There's that strange feeling again. It's almost like… satisfaction? I gaze down at him. He makes a little sound of contentment and pulls closer to me, resting his hand on my knee. His eyes flutter closed as he savors the taste. I shudder. He looks like that because of my blood. Because of me.

I shake that thought out of my head. There's something seriously wrong with me. "Alright brat, time's up."

He lifts his head. His cheeks are flushed and he's breathing hard. He stares straight into my eyes and licks his lips with an almost deliberate slowness, a blissful expression coming over his face when he tastes the stray drops of blood. He slides closer, moving his hand up my leg…

I grab his arm. "Eren," I say sharply.

He looks at me through heavy lidded eyes. "Hmmm?"

A shiver runs down my spine, and he bites his lower lip. My grip loosens and he pulls free, raising his hand to my shoulder. His gaze moves down a bit, but it's not my neck he's looking at. It's my lips. I swallow and my voice comes out dry. "What are you…" He leans forward.

My heart beats faster. I find myself frozen as he moves in, unable to pull away. His lips meet mine softly. His kiss is tender and slow, almost hesitant. One hand reaches up and tangles in my hair, sending shivers down my spine.

Finally he pulls back. I stare at him numbly, my mind desperately trying to process what just happened. When I finally speak my voice comes out harsh, harsher than I was probably intending. "Eren, what do you think you're doing?"

His cheeks light up red and he scrambles off the bed, looking absolutely terrified. "S-sorry, I- I don't know. Sorry. Let's just g-go, ok?"

I pull back down my sleeve and nod, just as reluctant to discuss what happened as he probably is. What did just happen? Some sort of blood drinking side effect? Or does he really…? I shake my head. We have a mission. I don't have time to think about this. I open the door.

Eren

I hang about a dozen feet back as we walk through the halls towards the exit. I can't believe I lost control of myself. But why did he let me do… that? He should have kicked my across the room. I sigh. I can't let myself think that it was anything more than some sort of accident. I'm a vampire. I don't deserve someone like Levi. I don't deserve anyone.

I spend the next forty minutes in the van nervously trying not to look at Levi- without much success. I try to stay focused, but I can't help the occasional glance in his direction. His expression stays blank the whole way there, and that just makes me more nervous.

Finally, we pull up at a large hall. The moon shines on the beds of perfectly manicured trees and flowers and light spills out from arched glass windows. We're going to be guarding one of the survey corps's former scientists. We recently found out that my dad has his eye on him and this would be the perfect place to grab him- a huge charity event to fund research into infectious diseases.

As I climb out I sneak another glance at Levi. He looks over at me and for a moment we make eye contact. My face goes red and I drop my eyes.

He sighs and turns to the rest of the group. "Alright everyone, we're supposed to be guests so try to fit in."

"I'm not sure how we're supposed to fit in in a place like this," Connie mutters.

"Just try not to stand out too much," he says, staring at the building with obvious annoyance.

The six of us make our way up the stairs to the front door. Soft music plays in the background, something classical. Tables set for dinner sit on one side of a wide open area across from a small stage. A huge staircase leads up to a balcony above us. The whole place screams sophistication and it makes me a little nervous.

The man we're here for- Karl Hofmann- comes over to us. He's tall and lanky with a suit that's just a bit too big on him. His eyes search the room nervously. "Which one of you is Levi?"

Levi steps forward and holds out his hand. "That would be me. Nice to meet you. You don't have to worry about us. We'll blend in and we'll be here if anything goes wrong."

Karl relaxes some, his face breaking into a sheepish grin. "That's perfect. I'm glad you all could come. It makes me feel a lot safer. I wasn't expecting the famous squad Levi to be so young though."

Levi purses his lips. "Well, they're all quite competent I assure you." Karl nods. I wonder how he'd react if he knew the majority of the squad Levi he's heard of is dead. He goes to greet the other guests and we disperse.

I stand awkwardly to the side watching the crowds of gorgeously dressed guests trickle in. It's a nice atmosphere I guess, but the crowd puts me on edge. I used to love being in the middle of things. I guess now I know just what might be lurking behind the smiling faces. I smell Karl coming up behind me and turn around.

"They mentioned a vampire had joined their ranks, but I had no idea he'd be here tonight," he says with a look of fascination.

"How'd you know?" I ask.

"I caught a glimpse of your fangs earlier. You might want to be more careful." I grimace. "I'm intrigued," he goes on. "I honestly didn't even think it was possible for a vampire to hold onto their humanity."

"What do you mean."

"Usually the transformation process messes with your brain chemistry. Blocks out the part of you that cares about the people you're killing."

I frown. "Then what about me?"

He thinks for a moment and then sighs. "Quite frankly, I have no idea what's going on with you. I'd be quite interested in studying you if I still worked at the Survey Corps." He holds out his hand. "I'm Karl Hofmann by the way."

I shake it politely and smile. "Eren Jaeger"

He looks surprised. "Jaeger as in Grisha Jaeger?"

I frown. "Unfortunately."

A look of sympathy crosses his face. "I was sorry to hear what happened to him."

I draw my eyebrows together. "You knew him?"

He hesitates. "Just a bit." He glances down at his watch. "I'm afraid I have a speech to make. I do hope you enjoy the event."

I nod, still confused, and he goes up to the stage. I'm about to follow him when I see Levi standing up front, arms folded and scanning the crowd with a serious expression. I push back down the part of me that wants to panic and run away, and go over to stand next to him. He stares at me for a moment with an unreadable expression, before turning back to Karl.

I try to look like I'm paying attention to the speech, but really I can't get my mind off Levi. I keep sneaking glances at him, and before I know it the speech is over.

As Karl starts to go down the stairs, a man jumps onto the stage. He pulls out a gun and starts pointing it around the room. Everyone starts to panic. Wine glasses crash to the floor. A woman next to me struggles in her high heels. People push each other around and run for the doors.

The man on the stage lets off a couple shots into the air and the noise level rises to almost deafening. Screams and the sound of stomping feet fill the air. Two more men grab Karl and vanish into the mass of people.

Levi starts trying to follow them, but the crowd knocks him back. He stumbles, and I catch him by the shoulders. He lets out a frustrated growl. "Damn it, they could be anywhere!"

I scan the crowd, and finally catch a glimpse of them moving towards the door. I grab Levi's hand and push through the crowd, careful not to hurt anyone, but making much better progress than anyone else with my strength.

We manage to catch up before they reach the doors. Karl is being dragged along, a vampire on each arm. Levi and I pull out our guns and each go up behind one of them. We shoot and they fall to the floor. More people scream and start to cry as they turn and try to run away from us, only to collide with the people still trying to get to the doors.

A look of relief sweeps over Karl's face as he stumbles away from the bodies. Levi and I pull him to the side as people go past us again. The hall starts to empty. The other squad members have made their way out of the crowd, but so have several more vampires. Annie, Connie, and Jean start to fight while Mikasa continues towards us.

Levi turns to Karl. "Stay behind me."

The other squad members defeat their opponents quickly and follow Mikasa, weaving their way through the few stragglers.

One more vampire appears from the crowd holding a struggling woman in a long red dress, hand clamped over her mouth. Mascara bleeds from around her terrified eyes and her hair is coming loose. The smell of blood wafts from a cut on her forehead and one of her heels is broken. Karl's eyes go wide.

The vampire gives her a shake and looks straight at Karl. "Come with me or your wife leaves in a body bag." We all stop moving. A moment passes as we look between Karl and the vampire. "Up to you scientist. You or your wife."

Karl takes a shaky step out from behind Levi, lifting his hands into the air. "Alright. Just don't hurt her, ok?"

"You're the one I'm interested in."

I can only watch as he walks towards the vampire. He takes slow, shaky steps, clearly terrified. I grit my teeth. If I move, his wife will die. I can't let that happen. But I can't let them have Karl either. I make eye contact with Levi. He nods slightly and holds up a hand behind his back, out of sight of the vampire. On the count of three then. The other squad members catch on and adjust their grips on their guns.

Karl walks closer. Levi lifts a finger. One. The vampire takes a couple steps forward, eyes locked on Karl. The woman lets out a muffled yelp as he drags her with him. Levi's grip on his gun tightens and he holds up another finger. Two. I hold my breath. The vampire starts to let the woman go as Karl reaches him. My muscles tense. Three.

Levi fires his gun into the ground. The vampire looks up, startled. His grip loosens, and I sprint forwards at full speed. I knock him backward as he reaches out for Karl. Mikasa and Levi arrive a second later, and Mikasa pulls the woman away from harm.

The vampire snarls and pulls himself to his feet. He lunges at Karl, but Levi gets in front of him. The vampire tears at his shirt as Levi trips him and sends him sprawling onto the floor. Levi lowers his gun and shoots him through the skull. The vampire's body goes limp and blood pools out from the gaping hole.

We rush to form a circle around Karl and his wife, but no more vampires come to face us. The hall is empty except for one woman cowering in the corner with her hands over her face. It doesn't look like anyone saw too much of what happened.

Levi calls Erwin, who's ready with a squad of fake paramedics to drag the bodies away. We walk out into the cool night air with Karl and his wife, and pretty soon the real paramedics show up. The vampires didn't hurt anyone, but the scramble to get out of the building did, and a lot of them look like they're in shock.

Karl brings his wife over to one of the ambulances, and then comes back to us. "Thank you all so much."

Levi looks uncomfortable. "We're just doing our job."

"You saved my wife."

Levi doesn't answer, so I give him a smile. "No need to thank us. We're happy to help." He smiles back, nodding, and then excuses himself to go sit with his wife. He pulls her into a hug, whispering soft, comforting words. She stares straight ahead, probably in shock.

A car pulls up and Karl helps her inside, waving to us before climbing in as well. I wave back, and turn towards Levi. I freeze. His right sleeve is ripped from his fight with the vampire, and Jean is staring straight at the bite mark underneath.

"Levi, what happened to your arm?" Jean asks.

Levi quickly covers the bite mark with his hand. "Nothing."

Jean narrows his eyes. "That's not nothing. That's a vampire bite."

He turns away. "I said it's nothing."

"It was Eren, wasn't it. I knew that story about animal blood had to be fake, but you're feeding him? That's messed up." He gives us both a disgusted look.

Levi presses his lips together in a menacing scowl. "Eren is a valuable part of our squad. He can take down far more vampires than any of you. Keep that in mind."

"That's because he's a monster."

"Don't call him that," he snaps.

Jean scowls. "You're always giving him special treatment, you know that?" He spits in my direction and stomps away, leaving behind a tense and uncomfortable silence. Everyone stares at me with wide eyes, some backing away.

Levi clicks his tongue and walks off. The rest of them start to leave too, giving me nervous glances. My face falls.

Mikasa hesitates. "Is that bite really from you?" I shrug. She looks down. I clench my jaw. I've had enough of this stupid vampire bullshit.

I turn around and stalk down the road. Eventually I come across a bench and sit down, dropping my head into my hands. I messed up so bad, and worst of all I ruined their respect for Levi.

A hand comes to rest on my shoulder. "I'm sorry they found out. I know you were just becoming friends." I look up at Levi. His expression is softer than usual.

"It's not your fault. I don't deserve them anyway. Jean's right, I'm a monster."

His jaw tenses. "You're a good person. If you weren't we wouldn't keep you around."

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. "Thanks."

"No problem. Now let's head back."


	20. Chapter 20

_ Levi _

I get back from my morning run an hour before breakfast. I open the door to my room and look down at Eren’s sleeping figure. He’s wrapped up in his blankets with a look of total contentment and little bit of drool soaking into his pillow. I almost think it’s cute before I remember how disgusting that is.

I walk towards the shower, but my thoughts linger on Eren. I haven’t been able to get him off my mind recently- not since the kiss. I still don’t understand why I let it happen. I could have pushed him away easily. I should have. I turn on the water and step under the warm stream.

I rest my head against the tile. I'm way too old to be freaking out about someone kissing me. I really shouldn’t care. But I can’t stop a little bit of nervousness from prickling up whenever I get too close to him. It’s really messing with my efforts to just pretend it never happened in the first place. His behavior isn’t helping either. He’s jumpy, fidgety, and sometimes can’t even form coherent sentences.

I finish my shower and pull on my clothes for the day, then go back out. I look over at Eren again. He looks so peaceful. I guess I can let him sleep for a few more minutes. I lie back on my bed and scroll through the news on my phone. It's buzzing with stories about the shooting from the charity event yesterday. The papers all say it was stopped by undercover federal agents- Erwin's meddling no doubt. Five minutes before breakfast starts, I smooth out the wrinkles in my bed cover and lightly kick Eren awake.

He groans. “No… just a little longer.”

I snort. “Get your ass up. You’re full of my blood, you don’t have any excuse for being sleepy.” He sits up with a cute pout on his face. I suppress a smile when I see his hair sticking up in every direction. I can’t help but think it looks sort of endearing. 

“Fine, I’m awake. Happy now?” he grumbles.

I click my tongue and walk to the door. “Training’s in forty minutes, I’ll see you there.”

* * *

_ Eren _

I yawn and rub my eyes as the door swings shut behind Levi. Now that I’m alone, I relax a little. I pull myself out of bed and slip into my clothes, before grabbing some animal blood out of the fridge. I down it, and then head to the bathroom to brush my teeth.  

These forty minutes I have to myself in the morning give me a chance to breathe. Being around Levi makes me happy- but it’s also awkward as hell. Especially since I have  _ no idea _ what he thinks about me kissing him. He hasn’t said a thing. I guess pretending it never happened is best, but is that really going to work? I spit out my toothpaste and rinse my mouth. I’m not sure I can just move on and forget about it. 

As I leave the bathroom, I start to feel a little dizzy. I blink, trying to get the room to stop spinning. When it doesn’t, anxiety starts to pool in my gut. I haven’t felt this way since I started drinking Levi’s blood. I lean against the doorframe and wait for it to pass. What the hell’s going on? Finally, my head clears. I breathe a sigh of relief and stand back up. I’ll have to mention it to Hange tomorrow.

I walk into our training room a couple minutes before practice is due to start. Since today is Hange’s day off, her squad is practicing with us. Mikasa, Connie, and Sasha are already here warming up. I start to walk over to them as usual, ready to offer any help I can. Sasha and Connie glance over at me nervously and I stop short. Mikasa presses her lips together and looks away. 

I shove my hands in my pockets and go to sit on the bench instead. What was I expecting? Of course they wouldn’t want to see me. Everyone’s finally realized how much of a monster I am. And it looks like they told Hange’s squad as well.

Jean comes in next, shooting me a hostile glare before going over to talk with everyone else. A little bit of anger sparks in my chest. I deserved what he said, but Levi did not. As I sit stewing in my thoughts, the rest of the team trickles in. I get a slightly disgusted look from Ymir, and another nervous one from Historia. Annie glances casually in my direction, seemingly indifferent, but she’s always that way.

There are seven of them, so I’m included in the sparring rotation. Normally I’d be happy, but today it just makes me feel even more like an outsider. My partners are clearly uncomfortable around me. I get a bit of a break facing Annie, but after her comes Jean. I take a breath and brace myself. I’ve got to stay professional.

Jean swaggers over to me and sniffs. “Great, I’m paired with a fucking animal.”

I ignore him and fall into a fighting stance. “Come on. Let’s focus on the exercise.”

He snorts. “Pretending to be a good boy now?”

I clench my fists and scowl. “Get your head out of your ass.”

“I don’t know what Levi thinks he sees in you. He’s an idiot for trusting you.”

I grit my teeth, the urge to hit him quickly rising. I take a deep breath and start to relax my overly tense muscles. I drop out of my fighting stance. If we went at it now, I’m not sure I’d be able to hold back.

His eyes narrow. “What, can’t fight me?”

I take another deep breath. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You think you’re better than me, don’t you?” he says, a little too loudly. People start to look over in our direction.

I bare my teeth. “At least I’m not an arrogant jackass.”

He clenches his jaw and throws a punch at me. I catch his arm easily and twist it behind his back. He tries to hit me with his other hand and I grab that as well.

“Fuck, let me go,” he yells, trying to yank his arms out of my grip. I don’t move an inch. If I do this will turn into a full-blown fight. 

Levi stalks over with a deadly expression. “Eren, Jean,” he snaps. “Cut it out.”

Jean stops struggling and I drop my hold. He glares between me and Levi and stretches his arms out. “His blood keeps you nice and strong, doesn’t it?”

Levi’s eyes darken. “Jean, switch places with Historia.”

He snorts. “Yeah, whatever. Keep treating him like he’s something special.” His voice drops low enough that only I can hear. “Fucking traitor to humanity is what he is.”

Something in me snaps and I lunge at him. A hand pushes against my shoulder and a leg sweeps my feet out from under me. A moment later I find myself on the ground with Levi holding me down. 

“Eren,” he growls into my ear. “Pull yourself together.” His voice cuts through the haze of anger and I go limp. His breath hits the back of my neck and suddenly I realize just how close we are. I can feel his slender fingers keeping my arms firmly in place, and his knee pressing down in the middle of my back. 

Levi releases me and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I stand back up. The looks being directed at me now are almost fearful, and for a moment I feel a stab of guilt. But then Jean’s words play back through my mind and I can’t keep a snarl from pulling at my lips. Jean snorts and stalks off to join his new partner. 

Levi watches him go, and then returns to Sasha and Ymir. Historia comes over to me, twisting her fingers through her hair with a nervous expression. I take a deep, shaky breath and try to give her a reassuring smile. It’s going to be a long day.

* * *

_ Levi _

When I get back from lunch, Eren is lying sprawled out on his bed with his phone, as usual. I guess there’s not much else for him to do, especially since the team’s treating him so badly. Arlert’s still giving him the cold shoulder as well. As I sit down at my desk, my phone and Erens both ding at the same time. I glance down at the screen.

**Erwin:** Mission brief at 17:30 in room 41, departure at 18:15

I type out a message of confirmation and turn to Eren hesitantly, trying to keep my expression neutral. “Eren.” He looks up. I take a deep breath. “This means we’ve got to leave in an hour.” He nods. “This is Hange's day,” I continue, “so we still can't get my blood drawn."

He stares at me for a moment and his eyes widen and he turns a deep red. "And we definitely can’t do  _ that _ again."

I sigh and stand up. The kiss was… a mistake. The blood drinking however was necessary. It even helped us during the mission. I do my best to ignore Eren’s blush. “Why not? everyone already knows. One more time won't make a difference." I sit down on the edge of my carefully made bed, maintaining my neutral expression. 

He squirms, conflict written all over his face. He clearly wants my blood, but there seems to be a lot holding him back. I don’t really understand- it’s the easiest and most practical way of dealing with the situation. We know he can control himself now.

“Levi… I really don’t think it’s a good idea,” he says finally.

I press my lips together. "Our missions are important, and you always need to be at your best. And then there's whatever drug Grisha gave you. It’s better for you not to skip a meal."

He hesitates for a moment longer, but it looks like what’s holding him back isn’t as strong as his hunger. He bites his lip, his gaze flicking down to my arm. "I… I guess. If you’re sure that’s ok."

"Yeah, I’m sure. Come on.” I pat the spot next to me.

My heart starts to beat faster as he crosses the small room, and I take a deep breath. It'll be fine. If he pulls anything like last time, I can just push him off. I hold out my arm.

He sits down and gently wraps his fingers around my wrist. I’m reminded suddenly of how easily he could snap my bones in two if he wanted. But I’m not worried about him hurting me. I know I can trust him.

As my skin nears his mouth, the hesitation in his eyes fades away. His fangs sink into my skin. I let out a hiss at the sharp sting, but that quickly fades to the background. It briefly occurs to me that it should probably hurt a lot more, but that thought gets lost as I stare at him. His eyes are shut and a faint flush dusts his cheeks. He looks… oddly adorable. 

The feeling of his lips and tongue on my skin sends little shivers through my body. He moves my arm a little closer to get a better angle and lets out a choked moan. My breath catches in my throat. 

I blink. What the hell- It’s Eren for god’s sake. "That's enough," I say. 

With one last lick, he lets me go. He turns his gaze up to meet mine. There's a dark look in his eye that this time I immediately recognize as lust. Which means I know exactly what’s coming as he slips his arms around my neck and leans closer. I try to ignore the pounding of my heart and will my arms to push him off me, but I wait just a little too long. His breath ghosts on my lips, and I forget why this is a such a bad idea. 

Our mouths connect, and this time I can't stop myself from kissing him back. I let my eyes fall shut. The feeling of our lip moving together is incredible. Heat pools in my chest and I bring my hands up his sides. A little voice in the back of my head tries to call me back to reality, but then he leans into my touch, and I just pull him closer. 

My mind blanks out as he creeps forward and slips onto my lap, straddling me. I let my hands fall to his hips and he brings his hands up and into my hair. I catch his lip between my teeth. He gasps and I slip my tongue between his parted lips. He rolls his hips down, and  _ fuck  _ that feels good. Fuck. 

My mind snaps back to reality as I realize just where this is headed. I push him away. For a moment we're both frozen, panting, and then realization dawns on his face. His green eyes widen and he covers his mouth with one hand.

"Go take a cold shower," I say.

He nods and scampers into the bathroom. I bring my hands up to to my face. He's a vampire. A  _ vampire. _ What am I doing letting him kiss me? What am I doing  _ kissing him back _ ? I take deep breaths and by the time Eren's out, I've managed to compose myself.

He doesn't meet my eyes. "Levi…"

"Let's not talk about it." He opens his mouth and then closes it again, nodding.

But I can’t stop myself from  _ thinking _ about it. That's twice now. The blood must somehow be making him horny. Or it could be the drug. I wonder if he would be like that with anyone he drank from. My chest tightens at that thought and I grit my teeth. What the  _ hell _ is wrong with me. 


	21. Chapter 21

_ Eren _

The brief for our mission starts, but I don’t listen to a thing Erwin’s saying. I’m far too distracted by Levi sitting next to me, calmly breathing in and out as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Meanwhile my mind keeps running around in jittery, anxious circles. Ohmygod I kissed Levi. _Again_. Ohmygod he _kissed me back_. Ohmygod _he_ _actually_ _kissed me_ _back_. And it was amazing. And then he what, changed his mind? 

He doesn’t… There’s no way he has  _ feelings _ for me, right? No. That’s impossible. This is  _ Levi _ we’re talking about. He’s way out of my league. And probably a lot older. Why would he ever be interested in someone like me? He calls me a brat on a daily basis. But most importantly,  _ I’m a vampire. _ I slouch down in my chair and grit my teeth. I hate my dad so much.

I have to know what’s going on with Levi. He kissed me back; that has to mean  _ something _ . But he said he didn’t want to talk about it, so what can I do? I blush as an idea occurs to me. I can try kissing again. Preferably when I’m not half out of my mind in a blood induced haze this time.

Levi stands up and I realize the brief is over. We climb into the van and pull up at an abandoned boat house around half an hour later. The wood on the front side is weathered and cracking, and a light breeze sends trash skittering across the parking lot out front. The gutters are rusted and nearly falling off. As we climb out, I hear the gentle rush of the ocean from behind the building.

We all follow Levi to the front door, drawing our guns as we approach. He picks the lock and slowly eases the door open. The room inside is empty. Several large pieces of furniture are covered in grimy sheets and the front desk has a thick layer of dust over it. The evening sunlight slants through the windows, casting long shadows. Cobwebs cling to the corners and ceiling. Whoever’s using this place clearly doesn’t care about cleanliness. I wonder how much it’s bothering Levi.

I glance over at him. He’s creeping forward with his gun drawn, moving with a confidence and grace that I can't help but find breathtaking. His stares at the dusty desk for a moment and I see his eye twitch, but he quickly goes back to scanning the room. He's perfectly in his element.

I try  _ really  _ hard to focus on the mission. I do. But with the taste of Levi's blood still fresh on my tongue, it's nearly impossible. My nose is filled with the scent of his not quite closed wound, and the faint pounding of his heart fills my ears.

"Dammit Eren, stop focusing on Levi and  _ pay attention _ !" hisses Annie, jerking me back into the moment.

"What?" And then I smell it. A group of humans behind a closed door on the other side of the room. I hear the click of guns being cocked. My eyes go wide. "Everyone get down!" I yell.

Most of them listen, but Jean just gives me dirty look. I pull him behind me, swearing, and the shots start. Pain shoots through my arm, then my leg and my stomach. The team struggles to find cover and then the door bursts open. A group of men come in, guns firing. 

"They're human!" I shout to the others.

Levi swears and holsters his weapon. "Put away your guns, the shots will go right through them."

The men split up and come towards us, and Jean dives behind the desk. More bullets pierce my skin as I move forward, but I ignore the pain. At least I'm drawing their fire away from the others. I don't smell any blood, so far everyone's safe. And I'm going to keep it that way.

I grab the gun from the first and hit him over the head. He crumples to the floor. I move on to the next, and the next. How many of them are there?

Then I see a man across the room with a gun aimed at Mikasa. I start forward and suddenly stumble as another wave of dizziness washes over me. My eyes widen. I'm too far away, I won't make it in time. I desperately try to move forward, but my limbs aren’t working right. 

Then Annie speeds across the room, fast. Too fast. She breaks the man's neck with her hands. The dizziness passes and Mikasa and I stare at her in shock. Another bullet pierces my skin and I grit my teeth. I'll worry about Annie later. Right now, she looks like she's on our side.

Annie gives up on any pretense of being human and helps me knock out the rest of the men. Luckily she doesn't kill anyone else. With the two of us together, the whole thing is over in under a minute.

I hit the last one over the head and stare at the bodies lying prone on the wooden floorboards, breathing slightly fast. There are at least a dozen of them. What are they doing here? And what the hell was that with Annie? I look around. The room is silent and everyone’s eyes are on her. 

She stuffs her hands into the pocket of her sweatshirt. “What are you guys, a bunch of fish? I’m a vampire, get over it.”

“How is that even possible?” I ask.

She gives me a bored look. “Don’t you have more important things to be worrying about? Like the people trapped here?”

I blink at her. "What do you mean?"

She sighs. “What kind of vampire are you? Are you really telling me you don’t smell that?”

I take a deep breath, trying to ignore Levi’s scent. I catch just a whiff of some other humans, along with the distinct smell of fear. My eyes widen.

"What’s she talking about?" asks Levi.

"There are more people here. They smell scared." 

“Where?” 

I lead the way through the building, following the scent. We walk down a flight of stairs to the basement, and up to a heavy metal door secured with a padlock. 

“They’re in here.”

Levi nods picks the lock. He pushes the door open. A group of people sit huddled on a concrete floor. Their eyes are wide and fearful and several cringe back when they see us. Most of them are about my age. A couple of them are sobbing quietly while some just sit still with stony faces. The room around them is dusty and dirty and the only light comes from a thin window along the ceiling. The air is stuffy and damp.

"Are you guys alright?" I ask. A few of them give hesitant nods.

“Who are you?” asks one man, eyes narrowed in suspicion. I look at Levi. 

“No one important,” he says. “I’m calling the police, they should be here shortly.” He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and starts to walk back down the hallway. 

I turn back to the room and see a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye as Annie tries to dart past Levi. He catches her and takes her down easily. "You're not going anywhere. After this is over, you're going to tell us what the hell is going on."

She sulks. "At least one of you would be dead if it wasn't for me." Levi jerks her to her feet and hands her over to me, then goes back to his phone.

I turns back to the people with a warm smile. “Everything’s going to be fine now. You’re safe.”

Mikasa, Connie and I bring the people out into another of the rooms, pulling the sheets off the furniture to give them somewhere to sit. They all seem hesitant and a little nervous.

The police arrive within ten minutes. Levi flashes what looks like an FBI badge, and launches into a story about how we stumbled upon them while following a lead to a different case. We leave the rest to them and climb into the van. 

The atmosphere is heavy and tense. Levi has his lips pressed together in silent fury and Connie fidgets awkwardly. Mikasa alternates between staring at Annie with a contemplative expression, and looking out the window. Annie sits still with her hands stuffed in her pockets. Jean focuses most of his negative energy on her, so at least I’m spared his usual hostility.

“What were all those people doing there?” I ask Levi, breaking the silence.

It’s Annie who answers. "You saw all the people on that boat, right? Where do you think they come from? Grisha needs people for his experiments as well."

“So you’re a spy,” says Levi.

“That was the plan anyway.”

The van pulls up back at the base and we climb into the elevator. Annie’s hand scans and verifies as human. 

Levi presses his lips together. "How are you doing that?"

She leans against the side of the elevator. "I take periodic injections. It's something Grisha cooked up."

We take her to an interrogation room and Levi chains her to the chair. All of the members of the team crowd into the room and stand along the walls. Everyone stays tense. 

Levi sits at the table across from her. "Now, why don’t you tell us what's going on?"

She leans back in the chair. "Yeah whatever. I'm screwed either way."

“Why are you here?”

“I was supposed to keep an eye on Eren and report anything noteworthy, but I haven’t contacted anyone since I first got here.”

“Why not?”

She shrugs. “I didn’t feel like it.”

"Why did you expose yourself to help us?"

She looks conflicted for a moment, and then her expression turns bitter. She sighs. "That shot fucked me up. I've started thinking and feeling like a normal human too. It's a real pain in the ass."

“What do you mean, like a normal human?”

“Becoming a vampire fucks with your head. Conscience, empathy, remorse- everything goes down the drain.”

I shudder. “What about me?”

“You got a syringe too, remember? 

“Yes, but that was… You’re saying I’m not a normal vampire?”

She nods. “Grisha was trying to make you the best- and I’d say he succeeded. Just think about how many vampires you can rip apart when you’re jacked up on Levi’s blood.

“What about the conscience and empathy?”

“He called it an unfortunate side effect. All I know is he thinks he can fix you.”

“So I haven’t changed at all?” 

“How should I know? I’m not a fucking psychologist. Although you do go around killing vampires like you were born to. That’s not exactly normal.”

“All of us do that,” says Mikasa.

“Yeah, and how many times have you fired at a realistic target to get you that way? Eren was an just your average student before all of this started.” There’s silence for a moment as everyone lets that sink in. I shift uncomfortably. 

“So he really is fucked up,” says Jean. I shoot him a glare.

Annie snorts. “He’s a saint compared to what he should be. But not for much longer if Grisha gets his way.”

Levi grits his teeth, emitting a murderous aura. "What’s he planning?"

She shifts. "No idea. He's always careful, doesn't tell us any more than he needs to."

Levi’s silent for a moment, and then he sighs. “There will likely be more questions from Erwin later, but for now there’s just one more thing. What do you think we should do with you?"

Her expression turns grim. "Ask your questions and then kill me, or let me starve to death."

Levi raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

She presses her lips together into a thin line. "The injection only lasts two weeks. I've got one more in my room, but after that I go back to being a normal vampire.” Her voice gets quieter. “I don't want that."

Mikasa takes a cautious step forward. "What if we have Hange try to replicate it?"

Annie blinks at her, confused. "Why would you do that?"

"So that we could make use of you."

She snorts. "Yeah, and what exactly would I eat?"

Mikasa’s expression sours. "Animal blood. The way Eren's supposed to."

Annie scoffs. "I wouldn't last more than two weeks on the stuff. The only reason Eren could stomach it for so long is thanks to all the messing around Grisha did."

Mikasa looks confused. "What do you mean for so long?"

Levi’s expression hardens. "Eren was drinking animal blood only for months, but his body couldn’t handle it anymore. He was dying, so we started forcing human blood into him."

She looks aghast. "You  _ forced _ him?”

“Again, he was well on his way to being dead for real.”

She looks at me. “Why didn’t you say something if it was to keep you alive?"

I turn my head away. "It doesn’t make me any less of a monster."

Levi’s scowls. “Alright, let’s get back to what we’re going to do with Annie,” he snaps.

"Can't we feed her off of those blood bags?" I ask.

"Our supplies have been restricted. Apparently Hange was  _ not _ supposed to be using that blood to feed vampire research subjects,” he says.

Mikasa speaks up in a quiet voice. "I'll feed her." I stare at her in shock and Jean makes a strangled sound. Mikasa presses her lips together. "I'll give her just enough blood to keep her from dropping dead as long as she helps us- helps Eren."

Annie lets out a low whistle. “You are  _ crazy _ ."

Mikasa shoots her a look. "You saved my life. And you know much more about Grisha and how he operates than any of us. It's the logical choice."

Levi draws his eyebrows together. "We can't just welcome her onto the team the way we did Eren. We don’t know whether she's trustworthy.” He pauses. “But there's no reason to kill her either. She really might come in handy. Are you sure Mikasa?” 

She sets her jaw. “I’m sure.”

He nods and stands up, looking back at Annie. “For now we’ll put you in a cell. We’ll need to verify the information you’ve given us, and then we’ll see how things go before we can determine how we’re going to put you to use.”

"There's one other thing you should probably know. I'm not the only one in here working for Grisha."

"We’re already aware there’s someone else. I don't suppose you know who it is?"

She shakes her head. “Sorry, can’t help you there.” Levi pulls her to her feet and starts walking her towards the door. "Oh and Eren," She calls over her shoulder as they leave. "Work out your personal shit before you get everyone killed."  I pale, and Levi gives me a weird look and ushers her out the door. Jean shoots me a slightly conflicted glance and leaves as well.

Connie comes up to me with a sheepish expression. “Look… You really helped us out back there. So thanks. I guess I overreacted a bit to the whole blood drinking thing.”

For a moment I stare at him, then I pull myself together. “Of course, I’ll always have the team’s back. It’s my job.”

He nods and walks out of the room, leaving me alone with Mikasa.

She gives me an exasperated look. "If you'd just told me it was necessary to keep you alive…" She breathes out a sigh and closes the distance between us, pulling me into a hug.

"Mikasa-"

"If you can drink Levi's blood without killing him, you can let me hug you," she says with a cross expression. I laugh and hug her back. And it's true. Her blood is barely tempting me. All I want is Levi.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this is late. It honestly took me this long to write, I wasn't even procrastinating. I'm happy with how it came out though, and I hope you all are too!

_ Levi _

I turn my chair to face Eren and sit down, crossing my legs. He stands awkwardly by the door, fidgeting with his shirt and not meeting my eyes. I let out a long breath. The last thing I want to do is have this conversation, but if this mess is going to affect our performance in the field, I don't have a choice. "What was Annie talking about?"

He rubs his neck. "If I'd been paying more attention, I would have noticed the people behind the door sooner."

"And why weren't you?" I ask sternly.

His gaze drops to the floor. "I was, uh, too focused on you." 

I tense at that, although I was expecting it. “Because of what happened?” I ask. 

“Um, yeah I guess.” He takes a deep breath. “But it’s not just that.” He raises his eyes to meet mine and steps closer to me, looking determined.  

“What do you mean?” He opens his mouth to answer, but then wobbles slightly, reaching his hand back to steady himself on the wall. I frown. "Are you alright?"

He blinks. “Yeah fine.” He tries again to take a step towards me, and stumbles. "Just feeling a little… dizzy." His eyes roll back and he falls to the floor.

Fear floods my chest as I watch him land heavily on the ground. I rush to his side and bend down, shaking his shoulder. “Eren. Eren!” He doesn’t respond. 

Fuck. Hange won’t be in until tomorrow, and no one else knows anything about treating him. I try to calm down. What’s wrong with me? I never panic. I need to think. I take a deep breath. Blood. I can give him blood.

I take out my knife and cut a gash across my hand, then force his mouth open and place my palm over it. The silence stretches on as I fight against the fear in my heart. Eren will be fine. This will work. 

Finally, his eyes flutter open and a warm wave of relief spreads through me. I wince as his fangs sink into my palm, but I’m getting used to it and it’s certainly not unexpected with my blood right in front of him. I pointedly ignore the pleasant feeling that begins to come over me.

I let him drink for a moment and then pull back my hand. He sits up and I see that familiar glazed look come over his eyes. I keep an arm firmly between us. Now is  _ not _ the time. And I told myself I wasn't going to let him kiss me again. No matter how good it felt… I shake my head. 

After a moment, Eren seems to snap out of it. He licks the remaining blood from his lips and frowns. "What happened?"

"You fainted."

He stares at me for a moment, and then his face falls. “Sorry… I’ve been feeling a bit dizzy today, but I never thought I’d pass out.”

“You’ve been feeling dizzy? Why didn’t you say anything?” I ask, my voice rising.

He glares at me. “I was going to mention it to Hange tomorrow!”

I grit my teeth. “Can you stand?”

He slowly gets to his feet, teetering a little. I breathe a sigh of relief when he manages to make it onto his bed and sit down. I’ll keep a close eye on him, but it looks like he’s going to be alright for now.

The next day, I tell everyone on the team to practice on their own and bring Eren to see Hange. As I explain what happened the night before, her expression turns grim. 

When I’m finished, she draws some of his blood and sticks it under a microscope. Her eyes widen. She adjusts the slide and continues to to stare down at it for a couple minutes. "What the hell?"

I feel my chest tighten. "What is it?"

She looks up at me with no trace of her usual cheer. "It looks like that drug Grisha gave him really is having an affect. It's reacting with the animal blood and causing some serious damage to his system."

I grit my teeth. How could I let something like this happen to him? “Is he going to be ok?” I ask.

“He’ll heal, but he’s going to have to stop drinking animal blood.”

“So just my blood then?” She nods. 

Eren frowns. “Can Levi really feed me all on his own?"

She nods again and turns back to the microscope. "Vampires don't need a ton of blood to sustain themselves. One person should be able to handle it just fine as long as you don't overdo it. And I'm happy to give some extra if it becomes a problem." 

I click my tongue, irritation creeping into my tone. “I’ll be fine brat. Worry about yourself.” I don't like the idea of him getting blood from other people. Is that weird? Yeah, that's definitely weird. I run a hand over my face. I’ll add that to the growing list of strangeness going on with me lately and worry about it later. Right now the most important thing is Eren.

Hange runs a couple more tests on him, then says he’s good to go. "Just come back here at some point tomorrow so we can check in again, alright? And sooner if you feel worse." He nods and she turns to me, gesturing to a stool. "Sit down, I’ll draw some more of your blood.” Eren watches intently as she fills vial after vial, but he manages to control himself. 

She packs them all into a paper bag and hands them to me. “He should have at least two a day for the next couple weeks, more if he’s feeling dizzy, alright? Make sure he gets plenty to eat.” 

I shiver at the images “plenty to eat” brings to mind.  Eren pushed up against me, fangs buried deep in my neck. The way he clings to me, the delicious sounds he makes as he savors my taste. That lustful look in his eyes just before he’d lean forward and kiss me- I shake those thoughts out of my head and take the bag from her.

That evening, I sit at my desk with my papers spread out, hyper aware of Eren sitting on the bed behind me. I tell myself I’m just worried about his safety. A voice in the back of my head tells me I’m an  idiot. I tell it to shut up.

I hear a gentle humming coming from his bed and turn my head slightly. Eren has his headphones in and he’s nodding along with the beat, a peaceful expression on his face. It’s not the first time he’s done it, and usually I yell at him to shut up. Tonight I do not. The humming is oddly soothing. Besides, I’m not getting much done anyway and… it’s kinda cute. 

Did I really just think that? Seriously? What about that vampire brat is cute? I look over at him again. A little smile creeps over his face as he moves his thumbs across the screen. He drops his head back into the pillows and lets his eyes fall closed, mouthing the lyrics. That does nothing to displace the sort of warm feeling slowly creeping into my chest.

I glance at the clock. It’s getting late and I should probably give him another vial of blood. Mind still firmly on Eren, I start to gather up my reports. I feel a slight prick on my thumb and jerk my hand back. The papers go fluttering to the ground as I stare at the thin cut, eyes widening. Oh shit. 

Eren is across the room in a second, all his attention on the little drop of crimson welling up on my skin. For a moment he just stares, and then he starts to reach towards me.

I pull my hand to my chest. "If you want blood, there are vials in the fridge."

His keeps moving forward, wrapping his fingers around my wrist and looking up at me with wide, pleading eyes. He bites his lip. "That’s not what I want." 

My heart does a little backflip and I let him bring the cut towards his mouth. I guess I can give him just a taste. His tongue flicks along the pad of my finger, licking up the small drop, and his eyes fall closed. When they open, they’re filled with a new sort of hunger. 

He stands up and places his hands on the desk on either side of me. He stares down with intense eyes full of determination. My heartbeat speeds up. This is different from the glazed over, not fully in control of himself look he’s worn the last two times we kissed. Eren knows exactly what he’s doing. That thought excites me in ways I didn’t think were possible. He wants me _. _

He bringing his lips down to meet mine and I lean into him. I don’t fight the feeling that spreads through my chest, I just enjoy the sensations. He licks at my lips and I let my mouth fall open, for the moment allowing him to do as he pleases. He explores the inside of my mouth with his velvety tongue. The warmth in my chest starts to become something more, hot and fierce.

He pulls back, panting, with a slightly uncertain look in his eyes. Red eyes. Vampire eyes, but in this moment, I don’t care. I want him. I snag his belt loops with my fingers and drag him roughly onto my lap. 

He lets out a surprised squeak, but then his face relaxes. He smirks. “Finally getting into it?”

“Shut up brat.” I say, voice a low rumble. I pull his head back down, bringing our lips together with an intensity that surprises even me. I push my tongue into his mouth, loving the way he clings to me. I move my hands to his hips and run them under the fabric of his shirt, feeling his toned muscles contract beneath my touch. I bite down on his lower lip and he lets out a moan. 

I pull back for a moment, moving my hands in slow circles along his thighs. I stare into his eyes and he looks back at me, lips parted, breathing heavy. “Are you sure this is what you want Eren?”

He nods enthusiastically. “God, you have  _ no _ idea how much.”

I smirk, tilting my head towards the bed. “Should we move this somewhere more comfortable then?”

A wide grin covers his face. “Hell yes.” 

I resist the urge to roll my eyes at his bluntness, but I can’t deny the desire it sends coursing through my veins. I waste no time lifting him up and carrying him the couple steps across the room. 

I throw him backwards onto the pillows and stare at him for a moment, taking in his flushed cheeks, his blown pupils. That adorably impatient expression.

“Levi come on,” he whines.

I click my tongue. “You’re such a brat.” I climb forward deliberately slowly and when I’m close enough, he pulls me down into another fierce kiss. Our mouths move together, passionate and full of desire. I drag my teeth along his lip, and he lets out a low moan. I grind my hips down into him, pressing our hard lengths together and creating delicious friction. 

He tugs at the hem of my shirt and I pause to yank it over my head. I throw it to the side, and his follows a moment later. Normally the messiness would bother me but I’m too caught up in what we’re doing to care. I lean back over him and he stares at my body, running his hands along my chest.

“Like what you see?” He gives me a crooked grin and kisses me again. 

He traces his fingers over my skin, across my back, and finally brings them up to my neck. He moves them across my pulse point for a moment and then pulls away from the kiss, panting and breathless. “I want to bite you,” he says, voice sounding wrecked.

I nod. “Just… don’t nick an artery. And make sure the mark won’t be visible.” My blood is what he needs, and truthfully I’d much rather he get it this way than drink from a vial.

He nods and trails hungry kisses towards my shoulder. I lean down to give him better access and hold my breath. I feel the sharp sting of fangs, and then the gentle caress of his lips and tongue. His grip on my shoulders tightens and I hear him swallow gulp after gulp. I shudder. Why is that sound so much of a turn on?

When he pulls back, his eyes are glazed with pleasure. A touch of crimson leaks from the side of his mouth and he licks it up, eyes falling closed with a contented sigh. I lean back down to kiss him, tasting my own blood fresh on his tongue and not minding one bit.

I trail a path of kisses across his jaw and down his neck. His breath hitches as I latch onto his skin, sucking a hickey that will most likely disappear in a couple of seconds. 

His hips buck up into mine. “I want…” I grind back into him and a moan cuts off the rest of his sentence. 

“What do you want?” I breathe into his ear.

His eyes meet mine. “I want you. I want you in me.”

“In you how?” I tease, cupping his length through his pants.

He gasps and thrusts into my hand. “I want you to,  _ ah _ , to fuck me.”

I swallow down the wave of anticipation. “You sure?”

He gives me a light glare. “Yes, I’m sure.”

I dip my hand underneath the layers of fabric to stroke his erection. He squirms and lets out a whimper. After a moment I coax his hips up and drag off his pants and underwear. 

I glance up at his face. He’s staring down at me with hooded eyes, chest rising and falling rapidly. A hungry sort of desire runs through me and I turn my attention back down to his dripping cock, leaning closer. 

I run my tongue along the length once, and his reaction is almost electric. He jerks in a shaky breath. I sink down to envelope his cock in my mouth. 

“God Levi that’s so good,” he pants. I bob my head in a steady rhythm until his hips are trembling and little gasps and whines are falling from his lips. I pull back and he gives me a desperate look. “Why’d you-”

I shush him. “Hang on a moment.” I reach into the top drawer of my nightstand and grab a bottle of lube. Eren bites his lip when he sees it and spreads his legs wide, giving me a mouth watering view of his ass. 

I squeeze a generous amount of the liquid onto my fingers and settle back between his legs. I bring one finger down to circle his entrance for a moment. He takes a deep breath, and I sink in my finger. He winces.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, it’s just been a while.”

Well, at least it’s not his first time. I begin to move my finger gently, sucking in a breath as I imagine that tight feeling around my cock. I slip in a second, and after another moment of careful movement I start to curl them, searching. 

Eren’s back arches and he lets out a loud moan. “ _Oh_ _fuck_. Keep doing that.”

With a slight smirk, I do as he says. I scissor and wiggle my fingers, every now and then pressing against the spot that has him writhing and moaning beneath me. Once he’s meeting each movement of my fingers with a thrust of his hips, I add one more. His face scrunches a bit and I bend down to take his cock into my mouth again. He sucks a breath in through his teeth and rocks his hips, hitting the back of my throat. 

I pause. “Stay still brat.” He lets out a whimper, but ceases his movement.

I dip my head back down and set a steady rhythm, bobbing and teasing him with my   
tongue. He trembles with the effort it takes to hold still. I move faster as his cries become more desperate, pushing my fingers against his prostate again and again.

“I’m gonna-” He cums, back arching. “Ah,  _ Levi _ ,” he shouts, spilling into my mouth. I swallow it down and pull back, wiping my chin with a slight grimace. Dirty, but it was worth it to hear him calling my name like that. 

As he lies still, gasping, I unzip my pants and line myself up at his entrance. It takes all of my willpower, but I manage to pause and look up at him one more time. “Are you absolutely sure about this Eren?”

He starts to blink off the high from his orgasm and focuses on me. “Yes.” He takes a deep, shuddering breath. “Fuck me already. I want to feel you inside me.”

God, this brat is going to be the death of me. I push in as slowly as I can manage. He scrunches up his face again and I force myself to stay still once I’m fully inside him. 

Eren takes a couple deep breaths and then looks back at me, wiggling his hips. “You can m-move now.” I slide almost all the way out and push back in, settling into a slow rhythm. He pulls me down and buries his face in my neck, licking at the already half closed wound. He scrapes his teeth over the spot in an unspoken question. 

“Go ahead,” I say. His fangs sink into my skin. I let out a low moan as he sucks at the blood flow, continuing to thrust into him at a steady pace. 

He pulls back for a moment. “Move _ faster _ .”

I do as he says, picking up the pace until he falls back onto the pillows, gasping, blood smudged around his lips. His red eyes go unfocused. I hike his legs higher, changing the angle a bit and he lets out a keening moan. “Fuck, right there.” I pound into that spot again and again and a string of curses and lewd moans starts to fall from his mouth. 

“Oh fuck that’s… oh god yes.  _ L-Levi. _ ” Pretty soon his breathes are coming in shallow gasps. I grab onto his cock and jerk my hand up and down in time with my thrusts.

His moans grow louder and louder, and then he spills himself into my hand with a final cry of my name. My movements start to falter as I feel heat coiling in the pit of my stomach. I fall over the edge, mind going white with pleasure. “ _ Eren _ ,” I gasp as I ride out my orgasm with several sharp thrusts. 

I pull out and drop down next to him to catch my breath. I stare over at him, the sight almost too much for me to handle. Eren, hair even more of a mess than usual, cheeks flushed, and a look of total contentment on his face. His eyes have gone back to a beautiful ocean green. 

I try to focus my thoughts. I… like him. I probably have for a while but I’ve been too stubborn to realize it. I like his determination and the way he throws himself into everything wholeheartedly. I like the way he cares deeply about everyone and doesn’t think twice about putting himself on the line for someone else. I close my eyes for a moment. I want to be with him. 

But he’s at  _ that age.  _ He’s been stuck down here for months, I shouldn’t assume I’m anything more than a meal and… a convenient fuck. I can always ask him, but do I really want to know the answer? There's no way he'd actually be interested in someone like me. I'm older, grouchy, and have terrible people skills. Eren's the total opposite. I doubt he’d want to be seen with me… 

My stomach drops suddenly. What if Erwin found out about this? I’m supposed to be watching him. No doubt he’d say my judgement’s clouded and move him to somewhere else. What if he decided to lock him up? My chest tightens. I can’t let that happen. I don’t want to lose him. 

I give him a sharp look. “Not a word about this to anyone, got it?”

For a moment he blinks at me, and then his whole body tenses. “What, that’s all you have to say?”

I close my eyes for a moment. “Fuck, no. I didn’t mean…” He glares at me. I sigh and pull him into a chaste kiss. After a moment his muscles relax and I move back. “Just don’t talk about… whatever  _ this _ is. Alright?” He nods obediently, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.

I roll out of bed and stand up, stretching. I grab our clothing off the floor and dropping them into the hamper, then head towards the bathroom. 

“Levi?” Eren asks from behind me.

I look back at him. “What?”

He stares at me, face full of an emotion I can’t put a name to. “What  _ is _ this?”

I’m silent for a moment, but no matter how hard I think, I can’t come up with anything to tell him. “Fuck if I know,” I say, turning away.


	23. Chapter 23

Eren

I drop my head back onto the pillows as the door to the bathroom shuts behind Levi. I can't keep the smile off my face. I think he feels  _something_  for me, even if I don't know what. Maybe he just doesn't like labels? Or maybe… doubt starts to creep into my mind. maybe this doesn't mean much at all to him. What would he even like about me? I shouldn't expect anything more from him.

Levi comes out of the bathroom after a moment and throws a slightly wet towel at me. I snag it out of the air. "Clean up and get to bed, I'm showering," he says. His face is blank with nothing to give away his emotions.

He's calm and practical as always I guess. I open my mouth to say something back, and then close it again. I have a million questions, but Levi doesn't seem to want to give answers, and I don't want to ruin this by saying something I shouldn't.

He goes back into the bathroom, leaving me on my own. I wipe myself down thoroughly and stand up, bracing myself for the pain in my back. Then I remember I'm a vampire and I haven't gotten sore since I was human. It's hard to believe that was only six months ago. It seems so much more distant. So much has happened since then.

I drop the towel in the laundry bin and collapse onto my bed, still mostly relaxed and now feeling very tired. Levi comes out around five minutes later, dressed for bed. He doesn't say anything to me, just shuts off the lights and climbs beneath his covers, just like he does every night. Like nothing's changed. I feel a slight pang of sadness, although it's not like I expected anything different…

"Goodnight Eren," he says, in a tone of voice I could almost describe as tender, although I suppose it could be because he's tired.

"Goodnight." I reply with a slight smile on my face.

* * *

_Armin_

I sit back in my chair, glancing at the time on the computer screen. Almost eleven already? How'd it get so late? It's been hours since Marco left. I yawn and stretch my arms above my head, working out some of the stiffness in my neck and shoulders. It's really time for me to go home.

I shut down the computer and grab my bag off the floor. I leave the room and head towards the exit. The rooms along the hallway are all darkened, nearly everyone has gone home or back to their rooms. As I walk, Erwin steps out of his office, carrying a coat in one hand and his bag in the other. I perk up a bit.

He looks surprised to he sees me, and then he smiles. "You're still here too?"

I give an awkward laugh. "Yeah, I lost track of time."

A slight look of concern colors his features. "I know the feeling. But as much as I appreciate your hard work, don't forget to take care of yourself."

"Oh, thanks but I'm fine."

Erwin hesitates for a moment, then sets his bag against the wall and slips his hands into his pockets. "I couldn't help but notice that you've been really down lately."

"I'm ok." I don't want to bother him with my personal problems. I try to keep my face neutral, but I end up looking away from his keen gaze.

He presses his lips together. "You're not ok and I'm worried." I don't answer. Has it really been that obvious? He sighs. "It's about Eren, isn't it?"

I wince. I should know by now that nothing gets past Erwin. I guess there's not much point in trying to deny it, and maybe it'd be good to talk to someone. "Yeah. He's been doing the best that he can, but I just…" I trail off.

I cut him out. I shouldn't have let my fear get the best of me, but I did. I know Eren wouldn't kill anyone, but I used to think he'd never bite anyone either. Before he attacked Levi, I knew he was a vampire, but it didn't feel real. Now I know he could kill someone just as easily as that other vampire killed Moses. But he  _wouldn't_. I  _know_  he wouldn't. I squeeze my eyes shut.

The images of the vampire attacking Moses are still vivid in my mind. The way he ripped into his throat, and the sick smile he wore on his face. It's completely different from Eren's smile, but they have the same red eyes, the same sharp fangs made for killing. I can't forget the crushing fear I felt staring them down, or the horror I felt looking into Moses's dead eyes. And all that blood- on the floor, on my hands, even on my face.

"Armin? Are you alright?"

I take a deep breath and realize my hands are trembling. I make myself smile, although I know he can see right through it. "I'll get over it."

"I think you'll feel a lot better if you talk to him."

I rub my neck. "It's been so long… How am I supposed to face him?"

"He'll forgive you. He's that type of person."

"Yeah… I guess you're right. " I give him a small smile. "Thanks."

He nods. "Why don't I give you a ride back to your apartment?"

"I couldn't-"

"It's no trouble. I'm just about to head back to my place as well."

My smile widens. "Sure." I'll talk to Eren tomorrow.

* * *

_Eren_

Levi is business as usual in the morning as well, waking me up just before heading out to breakfast. It really is like nothing's changed. A bit of sadness creeps over me, then I shake it off. It's nothing to get depressed over. I have no idea where this thing with him is headed yet and I shouldn't assume anything just because he's a little cold. Levi is and always will be Levi.

After only a little bit of hesitation, I grab a vial of his blood from the fridge. I'd much rather get it from the source, but I don't want to put push my luck- or put too much stress on Levi's system.

I slip on sweatpants and a t shirt and head for the practice room. I scan my ID and open the door. We're having another joint training session today and Hange is at the benches chatting animatedly with Sasha.

She rushes over when I come in. "Eren! Are you feeling better today? I thought up loads more experiments for this afternoon."

"Yeah, much better."

"You've had plenty of blood?" I nod, trying not to blush. She smiles. "Oh, I'm so glad. It's hard when I have to hold back, although I should still probably go easy on you." I laugh awkwardly, knowing full well that Hange's definition of "easy" isn't exactly normal.

I turn my attention to the other members in the room. Their expressions aren't as hostile as they were yesterday morning, although Jean isn't here yet. I relax some. Maybe I haven't lost them completely.

I wonder what they'd think if they knew the full extent of what was going on between Levi and I. They'd all be shocked. Mikasa wouldn't be happy. She's overprotective enough as it.

Levi and the other members show up, and practice starts. We divide up into groups, and everyone focuses on the exercise. I pay a bit more attention to Levi than I should, but he hardly spares me a second glance.

When it's over, I'm surprised to see Armin standing in the doorway. A wave of sadness passes over me as I'm reminded of our broken friendship.

He comes over to me with a nervous look on his face. "I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to come sit with us during lunch."

I blink at him. I thought he'd never speak to me again. "You… want me there?"

"I know I've been a terrible friend lately, but…. I don't like the way things have been. Not- not that it's your fault, it's mine. I… I guess what I'm saying is I'm sorry."

Hope swells up in my chest. "You're serious?"

"Yeah."

I do my best to shake off the remaining hurt from his behavior and focus on the happiness of having my friend back. "Thank you," I say.

"So… you'll come eat with us?"

"Yeah, I will." We start towards the cafeteria. Armin is nervous and fidgety, and when he looks at me I can see the guilt in his eyes.

"I don't blame you for your reaction you know. I deserved it."

He shakes his head. "No, you didn't. And I should have made up with you a long time ago."

I reach towards him and when he doesn't flinch away I put my hand on his shoulder. "Let's forget about it. I"m just glad to have you back now."

* * *

Hange doesn't get to run her experiments that afternoon. We're assigned another mission last minute and briefed on the way there. After the long drive, we pull up at another abandoned building. This one is in an urban area, but the street seems quiet. We climb out of the van and approach the building in formation, guns hidden.

Levi picks the lock and then looks back at us. "Move fast. We want to be out of here before the gunshots draw too much attention."

He opens the door, and we all go inside a grungy living room. At one point it was probably quite homey, but now the furniture is old and dirty. The room is stripped of most personal belongings, but several paintings still hang on the walls. They depict sunny flowers, completely going against the air of unease in the place.

Levi divides us up and points me towards the staircase. I go up to the first one, listening for a moment. When I don't hear anything, I ease open the door and look inside.

A vampire sits huddled in one corner. His head is down and he's breathing in short gasps. He scratches his nails down the pale skin of his arms again and again, deep red gouges appearing and disappearing just as fast.

His blood red eyes meet mine and he snarls, getting to his feet. He rushes at me, clawing his hands through the air, with no thought behind his actions. He's just like the vampires I fought when I accompanied the former squad Levi for the first time, I realize with a start. The memory makes my heart ache, but I need to focus on the mission. I strike the vampire around the back, and it hardly takes any effort to put a bullet through his skull.

I continue the search, pausing to sniff the air when I step out of the room. I smell Levi, the rest of the team… and one more. There's another human up here somewhere. I follow the scent to another door and cautiously push it open. A woman is curled up in the corner hugging her knees. Tears trickle down her face. She looks up at me and her eyes go wide.

"It's alright, I'm not here to hurt you," I say.

"Are… Are they gone?" she asks.

"They're being taken care of." Another shot rings through the building and she winces. "It's ok, you're safe now." I feel a warmth in my chest at being able to actually help someone. I bend down and offer her my hand with a reassuring smile.

That was a mistake. Her face twists in terror and she presses herself farther into the corner. "Your teeth! You're one of them!"

I quickly hide my fangs and take a step backwards. My heart sinks. Fuck. "I'm not like them, I promise. I don't hurt people." She doesn't look convinced. I breathe a pained sigh and speak into my microphone. "I found a human- a living one. Can someone help me with her?"

"What, one human's too much for you to handle?" Jean asks.

"She saw my fangs," I snap.

"Cut it out kids," comes Levi's voice. "Mikasa, give him a hand."

Open the door of the room and she appears at the top of the stairs. I notice a little blood on her shirt, but it's better than fangs. I lead her back into the room and stand to the side while she speaks in a soft, reassuring voice to the woman.

She helps her to her feet and glances at me. "I'm going to take her back to the van."

I nod and go to help search the rest of the building. We find a couple more vampires, but no one else alive. When we go outside, the woman is sitting on the back of the open van next to Mikasa.

Levi walks up to her. "Can you tell us what happened?"

She takes a shaky breath of air and nods. "Some men grabbed me and took me here. There were a bunch of other people with me, but I think they're all-" she starts to tear up, "all dead." Mikasa rubs her back reassuringly.

"Can you tell us how they died?" Levi asks.

"There was this man. He- he-"

"Stuck them with syringes?"

She gives him a weird look. "No, he had some sort of gas. Then I started to see the people around me pass out, and I passed out too. When I woke up, he was gone and the people around me were all dead. I'm a nurse, I know they didn't have a pulse. Then they started moving and I ran. That's when you all showed up."

Levi pulls up a picture of my dad wearing a lab coat on his phone. He holds it in front of the woman. "This him?" Her eyes widen and she nods.

I grit my teeth. What the hell could he be doing that he thinks all these bodies are worth it? I guess if he's a normal vampire he doesn't care. I clench my fists. I'm definitely going to kill him.

Levi slips his phone back into his pocket. "We're going to make sure you stay safe. Will you come with us?"

"Are you police?"

He hesitates for a moment. "Military. I promise nothing bad will happen to you."

She nods. We load her into the front of the van so she doesn't see us stick the corpses in the back, and then we all climb in. When we reach the base, Hange looks her over to see if whatever Grisha did is going to have a lasting effect and also make sure she's not a vampire. She can't find anything out of the ordinary, so we leave Erwin to make sure she doesn't talk.

* * *

Back in the room, Levi turns to me with an unreadable expression. "Are you hungry?"

I'm on my feet in an instant, hope and desire bubbling up in my chest. I bite my lip and stare at his neck. "Can I…?"

He gives me a look. "Why do you think I'm asking?"

I close the distance between us and he moves his head a bit to the side. I pull his shirt out of the way and stare down at the fading bite mark from yesterday, licking my lips. I look up to see his steel gray eyes watching me intently.

"Why are you letting me do this?" I ask.

"We had a mission, I figure you need some extra given your condition."

"I can just drink more of the vials…"

He narrows his eyes and pulls his shirt back up. "If you don't want to-"

"Sorry. I want to, I want to." I put my hands on his waist to keep him from moving away.

"That's what I thought brat." He tilts his head farther, expectantly. His hands settle on my shoulders and I don't hesitate anymore. I sink my fangs low down on his neck, and his grip on me tightens.

I let myself dissolve into the sensations and a familiar feeling starts to creep over me, like a haze drifting through my mind. All I can see is Levi, all I can hear is the pounding of his heart, and all I want is to taste his blood and feel his skin against mine.

After a while he pulls my head back. "Alright, that's enough." I flick my eyes down to his lips, and when he doesn't pull back, I wrap my arms around his neck and lean forwards. Our lips meet and I let my eyes fall closed. His tongue slips into my mouth and his hands creep down my body. They come to rest on my hips and he pulls me up against him.

A fresh spark of arousal runs through me when I feel his erection against mine. He grinds us together for a moment and then pushes me over to his bed. I crawl backwards and drop down with my head on the pillows. I pull him closer, eyes roaming over him, thoroughly enjoying the sight of him above me.

He smirks as if he knows exactly what I'm thinking and leans down to trail kisses over my neck. His hands find the hem of my shirt and I sit up so he can drag it over my head. He pulls off his shirt too and throws them both to the side. I stare at him again because  _damn_  I could never get used to the sight of such a perfect body. Several scars cover his pale skin, but they only serve to make him look that much more badass.

I reach my hands up and run them over his muscles for a moment before getting distracted by the wound on his shoulder, still leaking mouthwatering crimson. I lick over it and barely suppress a moan. He tastes so delicious.

His hands find the waistband of my pants and he drags them down my legs. A wave of anticipation washes over me as he reaches for the bottle of lube in his drawer. When he turns back, he stares at me for a moment with heavy lidded eyes. A blush starts to creep over my face and I pull him down for a kiss before he can see it.

He coats his fingers in the liquid and then reaches down to slowly slip one inside me. I take a deep breath and relax my muscles as he moves it in and out.

He adds another finger, slowly curling them. I clutch at the sheets and let out a loud moan as pleasure spikes through my body. He slides in another finger and continues to rub against that spot, again and again.

I start to feel heat building inside me, and then he stops and slips his fingers out. The momentary disappointment is quickly replaced with excitement for what I know comes next. He pulls off his pants and drops them over the edge of the bed.

I bite my lip as I stare down at his cock. I watch him line it up and slowly slide into me, letting out a choked moan. I feel so full in just the right way.

He presses a soft kiss against my jaw. "You alright?"

"I'm better than alright. Start moving." He sets a steady pace, going in and out and sending ripples of pleasure through me. "Oh fuck that f-feels good," I moan. I bring my hands around his neck and curl them into his hair.

His thrusts become faster and pleasure starts to coil in my gut again. "Levi, I'm-" He changes his angle just a bit and my words die in my throat as he hits that spot just right. My mind goes blank. I pull his head down and sink my fangs deep into the base of his neck as I come, tasting his blood. He hisses and follows a moment later with a quiet gasp of my name.

I drink as he finishes with a couple shallow thrusts and then pull back. Blood trickles down his chest as he moves away from me. He glances at the wound and grimaces.

My eyes widen. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't help myself. I bit too deep, didn't I?"

"It's fine, it's nothing serious. But if you're done I should go take care of this." I nod, guilt creeping over me, and he goes into the bathroom. I hear the shower turn on, and then he comes back to give me a towel to clean up with. I can't meet his eyes. I can't believe I did that.

I listen for the water turning off, and then slip into the bathroom. Levi's standing at the medicine cabinet, pulling out some medical supplies.

"Let me," I say.

He scowls. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of it myself."

"I know you are, but I want to."

"No."

I give him a pleading look.

His face softens some. "Annoying brat," he grumbles, but lets go of the supplies and sits down.

I pat away the blood and water. "I'm really sorry about this."

"It's fine. Just be more careful next time." I nod, feeling too guilty about the present to really appreciate the way he said "next time."

I tape a piece of gauze over the wound and step back. "Alright, all done."

He nods and stands up, putting the materials back into the meticulously organized cabinet. He stares at my morose face for a moment with an unimpressed look, then sighs and ruffles my hair. "You're an idiot," he says, but his tone is gentle and I know it's not an insult. Not really. I give him a small smile.


End file.
